


Never Say Never

by PagetPaulson



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-06-12
Packaged: 2018-03-09 09:02:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 31,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3243944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PagetPaulson/pseuds/PagetPaulson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Student - teacher relationships would never be permitted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Chug it."

The older boy nudged his sister who was nagging at him, and he took his eyes off of all the friends he had surrounding him at their lunch table. "Shut up, Em."

The only other girl at the table shook her head. "Emily's right. You lost, so you have to chug it."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "It's not like it's a beer, guys."

"I can go get you one if you want that instead."

The older brunette glared down to his little sister sitting beside him.

"What?" Emily laughed. "You don't think that Derek has some stashed away in his locker or in his car?"

The darker teenager nodded his head. "It's true."

The teens sitting out in the burning sun watched as the eldest in their group of friends chug the can of soda, his 'prize' for losing the bet to his best friend Derek about being able to ask out a new cheerleader that was here at their school. He had been trying to stay away from anything that would throw his diet out of whack, a strict diet that his football coach had put him on, and this was the perfect was to do that.

Emily backed away just slightly when her brother slammed the can down on the table. "Attractive," she stated dryly, watching the older brunette belch from all the carbination. "So why didn't she want to go out with you, Aaron? Were you too big for her?" she joked, teasing the older boy about the small amount of baby fat he still had on his stomach.

"She's gay," the older brunette shot back. "Maybe you'll be the one to deal with her instead."

Emily's hands were thrown up into the air as she shrugged. "I'm good with that," she laughed, high fiving their genius friend in the group. "She's pretty hot."

Fixing her glasses on her nose, Penelope looked up from her computer. "Hey Em, you know we have a new Spanish teacher? Mrs. Casteneda is on maternity leave."

"She was pregnant?"

"Em, what did you think? That she was just fat?" the darker teen in the group laughed.

Gently nodding her head, the privileged girl hid the smirk from her friends and brother. "Kind of, yeah."

Hearing the bell ring from inside the school building, Aaron looked to his little sister and shoved her shoulder. "Don't go getting another hickey, alright?"

Emily stuck her tongue out at her brother. "Don't go getting another STD, alright?"

Both Derek and Reid pulled the brother and sister apart before the fists were thrown, and Reid walked along with the two girls down to their Spanish class. "If you two start fighting on campus again, the principle said that you guys would be suspended."

Rolling her eyes, the brunette let the genius boy continue on his rant. She and Aaron had moved around a lot due to their mother and her postings around in different countries, but they had been in California for three years now and the ambassador had promised that they'd be able to graduate before she moved to another posting.

"Em? Emily?"

The ivory skinned girl's head spun at the sound of the genius boy's voice. "Yeah?"

Penelope grinned, nudging her fist into the older girl's arm as they entered their class. "Were you even listening?"

"When do I ever?" the brunette laughed, her dark eyes crinkling as she laughed along with her two friends.

"Well I would hope that that's different in the classroom."

Turning at the sound of a new voice, Emily forced her jaw not to hit the floor when her eyes met those of the blond haired woman standing behind the teacher's desk. Her dark blue eyes were piercing into hers, her teeth glistening white as she smiled to her.

"Well?" she laughed gently, setting down the papers that she had been holding in her hand. "Name?"

"Emily," the seventeen year old girl choked out, clearing her throat when she felt it start to swell. "Sorry hi, I'm Emily."

The new teacher gently nodded her head. "My name is Ms. Jareau. Now I don't care what you do outside of this room, but during class you'll listen to every word. Right?"

She sat down quickly into her seat, nodding as hastily as she could to let the gorgeous woman with her curly blond hair know that she was paying attention. "Yes Ms. Jareau."

Leaning over to her friend's desk, Penelope's red hair bounced as she laughed. "Not even a minute in and you're already fantasizing about having sex with the new Spanish teacher?"

"I am not," she hissed, knowing that the teacher was still staring their way. "Shut up!"

Reid sat back in his seat and smiled at the bickering his two friends were doing. When it wasn't him and Derek, he liked when there was fighting.

Penelope smiled wide. "You like her. You like her like her."

"I will stab you, I swear," she growled, grabbing her pen from her backpack and pointing it at the younger girl. "Shut it."

Frowning, Penelope turned back to look at the friend who sat behind her. "She likes her."

Reid immediately nodded his head in agreement. "Totally likes her."


	2. Chapter 2

Biting down hard into her lip, Emily's dark eyes watched every movement that the new teacher made before her. She couldn't stop moving between standing before the chalkboard and walking up and down the aisles, every time she had passed the ambassador's daughter, the perfume she had spritzed on before she went to the school that morning wafting through the air and into Emily's nose.

She tapped her pen furiously against her desk, keeping her hand raised in the air as she waited for Ms. Jareau to call on her. Throughout the entire class, she had looked to Emily before calling on another student, and it had annoyed the seventeen year old to no end.

She knew that the older woman was teasing her because of what she said when she came into the room that day, but this constant annoyance of her knowing the answer and not being picked on was wearing on her mood.

"Ms. Jareau?"

The class turned to look over to the classroom door.

Principle Strauss gestured to the ambassador's daughter sitting in the front of the fourth row. "If you can excuse us, but Ms. Prentiss-Hotchner has to go now."

Emily grimaced, quickly packing up her things. She had forgotten all about the lunchtime gala that her mother was having that day.

"What is she leaving for?" the new teacher inquired, peeking to her left to see the brunette girl hurrying to get up from her seat. "She needs a note, doesn't she?"

The seventeen year old shouldered her backpack and walked up to her teacher's desk. "Ms. Jareau? My parents are ambassadors, and today we have an event we have to attend. I'm sorry, it happens a lot."

Frowning, Ms. Jareau nodded, her curls bouncing as she bent down and picked up the assignment she was giving out for homework. "Dame una frase completa en español y entonces usted puede ir."

Emily refused to roll her eyes, and smiled at the older woman. She thought that she wasn't going to understand. "Mi hermano y yo somos muy buenos estudiantes, a pesar de salir de la escuela por lo menos una vez a la semana. Pido disculpas si interfiere con sus planes de clase, pero no puedo hacer mucho al respecto."

Ms. Jareau handed the paper to the brunette before her. "Very good," she smiled lightly. "I accept this to be filled out by tomorrow's class."

"Yes ma'am," she nodded, following the principle out of the room and out to the car that was waiting for her. "Hey," the seventeen year old grunted, sliding into the Lincoln to sit besie her brother. "How late are we going to be?"

Aaron shook his head. "It's right over at the beach, remember?"

Emilt took out her lipstick and quickly applied the blood red color, knowing she wouldn't have much time to do her makeup once she was there. Luckily it was only a half an hour away, down at the beach.

The beach that their family owned.

Hopping out of the car with her brother thirty minutes later, she thanked the driver and walked through the door that Aaron was holding open for her. "Thanks."

"So your new teacher," the older boy shrugged, racing his sister up the stairs, past the butlers and maids that were trying to set up for the party that was to happen in less than ten minutes. "How was she?"

Emily huffed, her shoulders slumping as they stopped at the top of the staircase. "She was kind of annoying because she damn well knew that I had the answer to all the questions she was asking, but never once did she pick on me."

Aaron grinned. "You so like her."

"She's so hot," the younger brunette confided, letting her brother follow her into her bedroom so she could take her gown out of the black garment bag. "She looked at me during class, a few times, and I almost died."

"She's really that hot?"

Emily glared hard at the older boy, shedding her small jacket from hmer shoulders. "You're not allowed to have her."

The football player's eyes widened. "Who the hell said you had the right to her?"

"The right? She's not property!" Emily laughed, going to her underwear drawer to get her favorite strapless bra so that she could wear it underneath her gown. "That proves that you can't have her. Now leave," she shooed, pushing her older brother out of the room. "I have to get changed."

Aaron messed up his sister's hair, laughing when he saw her immediately glare up to him. "Have fun looking pretty for your new girlfriend now, grandi occhi."

Rolling her eyes at the nickname, Emily slammed the door and slipped out of her shirt. "Ass."


	3. Chapter 3

"Had too much wine last night?"

Emily glared at her friend through the dark lenses of her shades. "Champagne," the ambassador's daughter corrected, yanking the elastic from her hair so her dark curls could lie on her shoulders. "There's a difference."

The computer geek held up her hands in surrender. "Oh, well I apologize."

The older Prentiss-Hotchner child at the table pushed lightly at his little sister's head, a laugh escaping him when her arm immediately swung back and tried to punch him. "Hey, relax. It's not my fault you were the one who was stealing all the glasses from the butlers."

"They were offering, and I was taking," Emily shrugged, following her friends inside of the school from where they were eating their lunch. "You would have done the same thing." Her mother's best friend's son had been eyeing her all night, a boy who had always had the hots for her for over five years, and she needed to get the edge off.

Aaron frowned. "Well I would have if all the glasses had already been emptied."

Emily rolled her eyes, slapping at her brother's arm before walking into her Spanish class.

"Ms. Prentiss-Hotchner."

Emily paused, cursing herself before spinning on the balls of her feet to see the beautiful blond woman standing from her desk chair. "Good afternoon, Ms. Jareau," the seventeen year old nodded gently.

Ms. Jareau smiled. "Que tal fue tu noche?"

"Andava bene, grazie. Ho fatto il tuo lavoro, te lo prometto."

The blond woman frowned, her blue eyes looking to the beautiful young girl as she watched her sit down at her desk. "Emily, I asked you how your night was."

Emily nodded. "And I answered." Did her teacher actually not understand her?

"You do realize that you didn't answer me in Spanish, don't you?"

The dark eyed girl's eyes widened behind her glasses as she turned to look at the boy behind her. "What did I answer her in?"

"Italian," the genius nodded, trying his best to hide his smile.

Emily groaned, running her fingers through her curls. "Estaba bien, gracias. Yo hice tu trabajo, te lo prometo." _It was fine, thank you. I did your work, I promise._

"Ah," the teacher chuckled, signaling the class to pass their homework up to the front of the rows to be collected. "Well it's nice to see you're so fluent in more than one language. You don't get that very often in high schools."

"She's fluent in seven."

Ms. Jareau handed out a sheet to be done in class before walking over to the little of cluster of desks by the window. "Really?"

Emily licked at her bottom lip. "Nine," she corrected, shrugging her shoulders as she got ready to fill out the sheet that was handed to her.

"Ms. Prentiss-Hotchner?"

She looked up from her paper, her dark hair falling behind her shoulders. "Yes?"

Ms. Jareau smiled. "Las gafas, por favor." _Glasses, please._

Emily rolled her eyes, taking a breath before slipping the sunglasses from her nose and setting them on her head.

"Parece que no has dormido en días, Emily." _It looks like you haven't slept in days, Emily._

The brunette girl sighed, letting her face fall into her hands. "No fue una buena noche." It wasn't a good night.

"¿Algo va mal en su partido? ¿Está todo bien?" the older woman inquired, sinking down to kneel by the privileged girl's desk and look into her eyes.

"Yes," Emily aslmost whispered, her heart pounding in her chest when she saw how deeply Ms. Jareau was looking into her eyes. "I'm alright, thank you," she smiled.

The blue eyed woman reached for the teenager's hand and gave a gentle squeeze. "Hablas de mí si usted necesita." _You talk to me if you need to._

Letting the older woman walk away before she felt herself lose it, Emily held her hand over her mouth. It was like she forgot how to breathe.

That woman was just perfect.


	4. Chapter 4

"¿Hay alguna forma posible para que usted venga a principios de a clase mañana, señorita Prentiss - Hotchner?" _Is there any possible way for you to come in early to class tomorrow, Ms. Prentiss-Hotchner?_

Emily looked up from the books she was piling back into her backpack to see her teacher rounding her desk and coming to stand right in front of her. "Is something wrong?" she questioned, nervous that she had upet the beautiful woman who she had to see every day. "Did I answer a homework question incorrectly or something?"

The older woman smiled, hearing the teen try and laugh it off. "I just wanted to speak with you."

"Ok."

Ms. Jareau let the younger girl pack up the rest of her things before she flipped her blond hair over her shoulder. "Well, I'm not going to be here in two weeks because I have a wedding to go to in Santa Monica."

"Oh," the seventeen year old smiled. "Well congratulations to whoever is getting married."

"I'll tell them you send your love," the older woman laughed. "But there aren't enough subs in the area and the ones that are available don't know how to speak Spanish. I can't leave the class for an entire week with not going forward in the lesson, do you understand?"

Emily pursed her lips, her head shaking as she shouldered her bag. "I'm pretty sure you could. I'm sure we wouldn't mind that," the teenager teased as they walked to the door of the classroom.

"Well I was wondering if you would be able to teach for me," the blue eyed woman suggested, catching Emily's surprised gaze with a smile. "Would that be something you'd be interested in?"

Her mouth ajar, Emily fell back against the doorframe of the classroom. "I'm not a teacher."

"Obviously," Ms. Jareau laughed, wanting to see the beautiful brunette girl smile at her once more. "But I don't think they'd be able to find anyone better."

She gave a slow nod of the head, her eyes darting down to see the blond woman's fingers almost itching to touch her hand like she had at the beginning of class. "Well I would have to ask my parents to make sure we would be here, but I would love to," the seventeen year old practically gushed. "Thank you."

"Hey Em!"

Both turned to see a dirty blond headed their way, and Emily's eyes widened at the sight of her. "Courtney," she nodded, smiling nervously at the older girl. "What are you doing here?"

"I do still go to school here," the green eyed girl laughed. "My next class is just down the hall."

"Did you change your schedule or something?"

Courtney excitedly nodded her head, her arms wrapping around the book that she held to her chest. "Oh, you must be the new Spanish teacher," she smiled, holding her hand out to the teacher so she could shake it. "My name is Courtney Vander. I'm in your last period class. I'm sorry I wasn't here yesterday but my parents and I were flying back from Paris."

Ms. Jareau gave a gentle smile. "That's not a problem, Ms. Vander."

"So," the blond teased, nudging Emily in the shoulder. "New girlfriend, Em?"

Emily grit her teeth. "Courtney," she warned.

Ms. Jareau looked between the two and slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry?"

"I mean, I know you left me for an older girl but a teacher?" Courtney laughed, sizing up her ex girlfriend's obvious new interest. "Didn't know you had it in you."

The blond woman watching the two teenagers interact before her could see how nervous and embarrassed Emily was getting. "Well Courtney, I don't know about you but I for sure wouldn't let someone like Emily leave me. She's beautiful and a damn smart girl."

Emily bit her lip, dark eyes flickering up to look to the older woman who nodded before walking back into the classroom.

"Damn," the older teen almost groaned. "So if you're not dating her, can I?"

"No."

Courtney followed her ex down the hall, noticing the dark bags under her eyes as they traveled out into the sunlight of the courtyard. "Why not? She said you're beautiful but so what? Everyone thinks you're beautiful."

"No, Courtney," the privileged girl huffed, turning around so the older girl could see her shake her head. "Just leave it alone."

"You're no fun."

Emily hid her smile before walking away, the beautiful blond who had stuck up for her sticking in her mind as she crossed campus to get to her next class.

"Em! Get your ass off of me!"

The brunette girl laughed as she was thrown off of her brother's lap and into the aisle of the plane. It had been two weeks since she had heard her teacher call her beautiful and she sadly was flying away from her home to go to a function that her mother had informed her it was mandatory to go to. "Don't be pissy," she cackled, punching her brother's shoulder and making her way to another seat before he could touch her. "Just because you forgot your phone doesn't mean you have to take your anger out on me."

Charles Hotchner looked up from his newspaper and watched his son give his little sister the finger. "Aaron Paul."

"Sorry," the eighteen year old scowled.

"Do you two have your outfits prepared?" their mother asked them, not even looking up from one of the new files she had been handed before they left. "Emily? Your gowns?"

Emily yawned. "Yup. I have nine. I didn't know which I'd need." She held onto the arms of her seat as they landed, and she thanked her older brother for giving her the carry-on bag she had taken with her. "So what's this function for?"

Charles watched his wife smile before he turned to the kids, waiting for the car to drive up the tarmac to pick them up. "It's your cousin Margot's wedding."

"Margie is getting married?" Emily's jaw dropped as the door opened for them. "Why didn't she tell us?"

"Oh well she sent an invitiation, but we thought it would be best to surprise you two."

The brown eyed girl balled her hands into fists as she slid in next to her brother. "Best to surprise us?" she ground out, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Aaron gripped his little sister's hand to calm her down and bit back his smile. His parents knew exactly how to piss her off.

Stepping into the foyer of the hotel, Emily hit her brother in the chest. "They're trying to make it better by staying at the most expensive hotel there is," she hissed, seeing other people walking around in their suit jackets and tennis outfits. They were the richest of the rich.

"Or we're staying here because we always stay in the most expensive hotels," her brother pointed out.

Emily rolled her eyes, reaching down to pick up her suitcase when her gaze landed on a blond woman over by the check in desk. "Oh my God."

"What?" She elbowed her brother in the side before giving a smile, seeing the woman look over to them when all of the bellhops came rushing over to take their bags. "Ms. Jareau."

The blue eyed woman smiled to the pair standing before her, and she thanked the man behind the desk before walking toward them. "Emily, hello," she smiled. "And who is this?"

"This is my brother Aaron." Emily kept her eyes on the beautiful woman as she shook Aaron's hand, and she gestured to the older couple beside her. "And these are my parents," she tried to smile. "Ms. Jareau, Ambassadors Elizabeth and Charlies Prentiss-Hotchner.

"It's very nice to meet you two," Ms. Jareau grinned, looking down to Emily when both of her student's parents had given her a handshake. "I didn't know your function was here in Santa Monica."

Emily shrugged, cursing her luck when her brother stayed by her side to keep talking to her beautiful teacher. "Me neither. We're here for my cousin Margie's wedding."

Ms. Jaruea looked to her student with an evil grin. "Margie Vern?"

"Yes, how did you know that?"

The blue eyed blond laughed, holding up the invitationt that she had to show to the from desk for her to be given her room key. "That's the wedding I'm here for."

Emily's eyes widened like a deer's that had been struck by the headlights of a car, and a nervous laugh escaped her. "Really?"

"Really," she nodded. "Well I guess I'll see you two around."

Emily felt as if she were paralyzed, watching the older woman walk away, putting a small sway in her hips, and leaving the brother and sister standing by the entrance of the hotel. "Oh my God."

Aaron gave a shrug. "Look at it this way. You both have your own rooms," he winked, moving his arm and walking away from the younger girl when she tried to slap at his wrist. "Just don't be too loud, ok? I need a good night's sleep."


	5. Chapter 5

Sipping the mamosa that had been served to her, the seventeen year old tried her best to keep her eyes away from the blond who had been seated right beside her for their bridesmaid brunch. The entire wedding party had barely been at the hotel for barely an hour before Margot had knocked on only a select number of doors to tell her family and best friends what they would be doing for the wedding.

Ms. Jareau was to stand right behind her at the altar.

Emily looked up when she heard her named being called and smiled when her cousin waved to get her attention. "Sorry, what?"

"Spacing out over there, Emmybear?" the twenty-eight year old laughed, thanking the waiter as he cleared her fruit plate. "Where's your mind been?"

The brown eyed girl looked to her cousin at the head of the table with a nervous glance. "Sorry, there's just a lot on my mind."

"Might be all the work I've been giving her," the blond at Emily's side joked, meeting the seventeen year old's eyes.

Margot nodded, trying to hear above the others at the table talking in their own conversations. "Right Jen, you're Emmy's new Spanish teacher."

Emily chewed on her lip at that new bit of information. Her name was Jennifer.

"Yes, I'm there until Mrs. Casteneda comes back from maternity leave."

Margot gave her little cousin a wink. "Nuova fidanzata, grandi occhi?" _New girlfriend, big eyes?_

Jennifer frowned, standing with the rest of the bridesmaids when their plates were cleared. "Grand occhi?" she questioned, not seeing the surprise and fear the seventeen year old had in her eyes. "Is that a nickname?"

The brunette girl cleared her throat, picking up her beach bag from underneath her chair as everyone got ready to head outside. "It means 'big eyes'," she said quietly, smiling to the older woman before following her cousin outside of the hotel.

"Big eyes?" the teacher chuckled to herself, her eyes stuck on the beautiful girl's body as she walked away from her. "That seems fitting."

Running outside the hotel with his uncles, the eighteen year old Prentiss-Hotchner child chased the youngest of the pair out to the side of the pool where the girls were having their relaxing afternoon. "Hey Em!" he called, seeing his little sister laying her towel on one of the beach chairs.

Emily barely had enough time to look up from what she was doing before she felt her brother's arms wrap around her small body and carry her to the pool. "Aaron! Aaron stop!"

Jennifer's jaw dropped when the brunette landed in the water, her older brother jumping in after her.

"Aaron!" The ambassador's daughter came out of the water hacking, hitting at his chest when he tried to bring her against his body. "Come on," she groaned, trying to elbow him when he spun her around in the water. "Aaron, what the hell?"

"Don't be a baby," the older boy laughed, hearing his family jump in behind him.

Emily struggled to stop her laughter as she tried to free himself from her brother's arms, and a squeal escaped her when she was thrown to her uncle. "Stop!"

The ambassador's daughter's Uncle Richard tickled his goddaughter's sides to get her to try and jump from his arms. "Próbując uciec od nas, jesteś duże oczy?" _Trying to run away from us, are you big eyes?_

Jennifer sat transfixed on a chair by the pool, listening to the new language she heard the family speaking as she watched them use her student as a vollyball they were passing between them.

"Przestań, przestań!" the brunette girl laughed heartily as she tried to beg her uncle to stop. Her doe eyes widened when she was passed to another member of the family, and she fought hard against her uncle's grip as he tried to dunk her under the water. "Wujek! Wujek, zamknij się!" _Uncle! Uncle, quit it!_

Emily's Uncle Patrick laughed before tossing the seveteen year old into his son's arms. "You giving up, grandi occhi?" he laughed, seeing her abs flex under his son's arms that wrapped around her.

"Ça fait mal," she laughed, her voice strained as her breath caught in her throat. "Je abandonne, ok? J'abandonne! Vous gagnez." _It hurts. I give up, ok? I give up! You win._

Jennifer leaned over to the bride who had sat beside her on her beach chair, refusing to turn her attention away from the chaos that was going on before her. "What language is that?"

"It was Polish," the brunette girl laughed, flipping through the magazine she had in her lap, "but then she switched to French. That happens sometimes," Margot shrugged. "But Emmy is the one who changes between languages most often. I don't think she notices it."

The blond smiled, seeing Emily turn her way and give a wave to the woman who sat beside her before smoothing down her soaking wet curls so they didn't get in her eyes.

She was beautiful.

Walking up the steps of the pool, Emily flipped the boys in the pool the middle finger before fixing her bikini top. "Not ok, guys," she laughed. "If mom saw you, she would have freaked."

"Saw us?" Aaron huffed. "What are you talking about? It was clearly your fault."

"I fucking hate you," she groaned, falling back onto her beach chair and ignoring the eyes that she knew were on her. She had seen a couple of older men staring at her when she was thrown into the pool, and she for sure knew that her teacher was looking her way. "Margie? What time are we going to dinner tonight?"

The bride looked past the woman who was quickly finding herself growing a crush for the teenager and laughed. "What am I? Your servant?"

"Beh, io non sono di certo il vostro." _Well I'm certainly not yours._ Looking up, Emily caught the towel that was thrown at her in her hand and immediately chucked it back at the older girl. "Don't fuck with me," the ambassador's daughter teasing as her teacher looked at her with wide eyes. "You can't yell at me."

Jennifer hid her smile. "I can't?"

"We're not in school, so no."

The blond shook the younger girl's hand when she gave it to her, and she laid back against her seat. "We won't act as if we're in school. No student/teacher relationship," she grinned, almost winking at the younger girl. "You have a deal."

Emily watched the blue eyed stunner sit back in her seat, her body still covered in the dress she had worn out to the pool, and she quickly closed her eyes and sat back in the sun, trying her best to get the image of the teacher's naked body out of her mind. "Oh me scopare." _Oh fuck me._


	6. Chapter 6

Emily blew out a breath as she sorted through the gowns she had brought with her. Her mother had come to get their family to let them know that every relative was to make an appearance at the ball the governor was holding that night.

It was just like the ambassador to tell them right before the event was to begin.

Hearing a knock on her hotel room door, Emily rolled her eyes. "Mom, I'm not ready. Give me a minute, ok?"

"Emily?"

The brown eyed girl frowned at the unfamiliar voice, and she buttoned up her shirt before opening her hotel room door. "Ms. Jareau," she almost gasped, seeing the beautiful blond standing outside of her room with her blue eyes gazing at her. "Hi."

"Emily," she chuckled almost nervously, her fingers tightening around the bucket in her hand. "I'm sorry, I thought this was Margot's room."

Emily gave a gentle shrug. "Sorry," she smiled. "Did you need something?"

Jennifer looked down to the bucket she had taken from her room. "The ice machine is being refilled and I texted Margie, and she said she would give me some of hers."

"Come in," the seventeen year old beckoned, her breath hitching as her teacher scooted past her to get into the room. "My brother tried to steal mine a little while ago for cocktails, but I told him I needed it."

"For your own cocktails?" Jennifer asked, her eyes sparkling as she looked to the brunette girl.

Emily gently shook her head, fighting her smile. "I have eczema," she explained, seeing the realization in the older woman eyes. "I use ice baths to make my skin feel better when I have a flare up."

Jennifer watched the younger girl turn her back to her so she could fill up her ice bucket. "I didn't see anything down at the pool."

The teenager heard the soft inquisition from behind her, and she kept her back turned so she didn't have to see those strong blue eyes of the older woman. "I'm doing really well today. But just in case," she shrugged, finally turning when the bucket was filled halfway. "You never know."

"Is it painful?"

Emily's lips pursed as she shook her head, handing the bucket to the beautiful blond before her. "Just itchy," she smiled.

The blue eyed blond watched as her student glanced toward her closet, and her jaw dropped. "What are all of these?"

"Gowns for galas," the brunette girl huffed, her hands on her hips as she walked back over to the dresses.

Jennifer laughed. "I think you have ten thousand times my paycheck in here," she breathed, seeing the ambassador's daughter finger a red dress hanging in the center of the collection.

Shrugging, Emily gently nodded her head. "I need to have one on in the next five minutes or I'll be late for the function tonight."

"They're all beautiful." The blue eyed teacher bit her lip, gazing at the girl who stood beside her with frustration written all across her features. Turning to the dresses, Jennifer reached for a royal blue gown that hung with a pair of silver stilettos sitting underneath it. "This one."

Emily's brow furrowed.

Jennifer turned to see the brunette at her side itching gently at her hip, and for the first time that afternoon, the Spanish teacher noticed the darker makeup on her student's eyes and her dark hair hanging around her shoulders in tight curls. "It'll look beautiful on you."

"Thank you," she whispered gently, sharing the smallest smile with her teacher before her ears perked up from a knock on the door.

"Grande occhi! Get your ass out here, it's time to go!"

Jennifer held her bucket closer to her chest. "I'll let you get ready."

Watching her teacher quickly make her way to the exit, Emily ran her hands down her hips. If only she could go with her to the function tonight.

She quickly shed her clothing and zipped herself into the dark colored gown, walking quickly over to her mirror to run her fingers through her curls so they'd fall into elegant waves. "Ok," she breathed, fitting her heels on her feet before smoothing out the liner she had drawn around her brown eyes. "Ready."

"I'm here," the seventeen year old groaned, almost slamming her hotel room door behind her as she walked into the hallway. "Oh," she breathed, seeing her teacher and mother standing side by side.

Elizabeth Prentiss refrained from rolling her eyes at her daughter's behavior. "Emily, you're holding everyone up."

Emily put on a smile, taking the clutch from her cousin. "I apologize, mother."

"I'm sure she didn't mean it."

Her doe eyes widened at the familiar voice, and she met the eyes of her gorgeous teacher before turning around. "Courtney," she breathed, a nervous smile fluttering across her face. "What are you doing here?"

The dirty blond smirked at the little tilt of the head her ex gave. "Your mother invited me. She thought it would be nice if the public saw us together," she shrugged, sharing a smile with the ambassador. "Kind of like a reunion."

Jennifer began to tip toe away from the family. The two teenage girls were the most influential and successful in the country, of the country would want them together. "Thank you again, Emily," she grinned, gesturing to the bucket in her hands. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

Her dark eyes watched the beautiful woman walk away, and forcing a smile at the girl by her side, Emily could feel her heart breaking.

...

A few hours later, the Spanish teacher found herself sitting in her hotel room bed after a night of drinking with the other bridesmaids. She couldn't stop thinking about the young girl in her class, and the blond had thought that maybe a couple of shots would have cleared her mind.

She was wrong.

Eyes popping open, Jennifer sat up when a picture popped up on her computer screen.

It was a gorgeous picture of Emily and her ex girlfriend standing side by side, Courtney's hand obviously sitting on the seventeen year old's back as they smiled to a camera other than the one that snapped their picture.

'American Royalty Walks Side by Side Into The Governor's Ball. Prentiss and Vander Back Together Again.'

Jennifer's face fell at the smile she saw on Emily's face, not knowing if it was real or not, and her heart fell heavy into her stomach.


	7. Chapter 7

Emily tilted her head to the side when Courtney tried to lean in and press a kiss to her cheek when they were seated at dinner, and she immediately caught the disapproving eye of her mother who sat down the table. "Yes I have," she smiled, looking back to the Ambassador of the Ukraine who was looking to her from across the table.

"Was it scary?" she questioned with almost frightened eyes, her accent thick.

"Not at all," the seventeen year old dismissed, setting her curls behind her ears as she thanked the waiter who set her soup before her. "He's a very nice man, I promise," she smiled. "Offered my brother and I a room for the night but mother told him very nicely that we had a dinner for the servicemen later that night."

The Ambassador of the Ukraine held her hand to her heart. "I've heard such nice things but it is very intimidating," she laughed lightly.

Emily smiled, letting Courtney take her hand that had been sitting on the table so she wouldn't cause a fight at the table of the world's most important people. "The president is an amazing man," she smiled. "I'm sad he couldn't be here tonight."

"There's a lockdown," Courtney chimed in, interlacing her fingers with her ex's. "Someone got past the gates and they're bumping up their security."

Emily turned her head at the feeling of Courtney tightening her fingers around hers, and she begrudgingly let her press a kiss to her cheek.

"You look beautiful," the blond smiled, releasing her ex's hand to take her fork in her hand. "That dress is a great color for you."

The ebony haired girl bit her lip, glancing over to her brother sitting on the other side of her who was giving her a grin. "Yeah," she almost huffed. "A friend picked it out."

Aaron leaned into his younger sister's side and laughed. "Friend."

"Yes," she growled. "Friend."

Courtney hid her smirk at the knowledge she shared with her ex's brother before picking up her spoon so she could start on her dinner. "So the wedding you two have later this week," she smiled, her posture matching that of her date, her showers back and back straight just as she had been taught for all those years as a young girl. "Do you have any part in it?"

Aaron nodded over his sister's shoulder, knowing that his baby sister wasn't comfortable enough to hold a conversation with the other girl just yet. "I'm a groomsman while Emily is a bridesmaid."

The brunette beside her brother smiled gently, seeing her cousin Margot smile at her from down the table. "Maid of Honor," she corrected her brother.

"Right," he chuckled, refraining from rolling his eyes so he wouldn't embarrass his parents at the function. "Excuse me."

"Emily," the governor grinned, raising his hand to bring attention to himself. "Tell me, how is your senior year going?"

The ambassador's daughter slapped at her brother underneath the table. She knew that Aaron hated that she had been bumped up to her grade, but luckily all of her other friends were seniors as well, and that definitely took the edge off. "Acing everything, thankfully."

"And you're in a Spanish class? I thought you were fluent."

"Oh, she is," the blond at her side interrupted, her freshly manicured fingers brushing over her ex's smooth arm. "She's fluent in nine languages including Spanish."

Emily forced a smile, not turning back to look at the girl who had forced her to come with her. "I am, but it is a mandatory class. You are required to take a language class every year of high school in my district."

"I wish I had a knack for languages like you," the governor laughed, sipping his wine. "Have a drink, kids. It can't hurt."

Emily let the waiter set a glass of wine in front of her.

"Come on Em, take a sip," Courtney urged, tasting the blood red wine on her tongue. "It's amazing."

The brunette girl stared at the wine in her glass, her fingers wrapping around the stem of the crystal glass as she imagined the beautiful blond woman she left back at the hotel. What was she up to? Should she had left her back at the hotel without explaining something about her and Courtney? Or would she not care? She wasn't anything to Emily. She was only her teacher.

Emily's eyes stung at the thought. Jennifer was nothing but her teacher.

"Emily?"

The privileged girl looked up at the sound of her ex, and she gave a small nod of the head. "Cheers," she smiled, clinking her glass against the blondes before gulping down the tart drink.


	8. Chapter 8

Jennifer rolled her eyes at the banging she heard on the wall across from her bed, and she buried her head under the fluffed hotel pillow. She had heard the door to the hotel room beside hers slam when that guest had gotten back to their suite, and she had been dealing with those sounds for almost a half an hour. Who could be that loud for that long?

All she wanted was a good night's rest and the teacher had to listen to this racket all night long.

Huffing, the blue eyed woman rolled out of her bed and stormed over to the wall that separated her from the noisy couple on the other side. "Hey!" she bellowed, slamming her fist repeatedly against the wall. "Try and keep it quiet, would you?"

She heard a moan in reply, and Jennifer's veins popped out of her forehead and neck. "HEY! Quiet down!"

After raking her fingers through her mused hair, the blonde's eyes popped open.

Emily was the one who was staying in the room next to hers.

Eyes wide, the blond haired woman quickly grabbed her sweatshirt and room card and practically ran from her hotel suite. She couldn't believe she had heard her student having sex right next door.

The blue eyed Spanish teacher paused, her door closing lightly behind her as she stood out in the hallway.

Emily was probably in there with Courtney.

Jennifer held her breath, glancing over to the door that held the groaning couple behind it before quickly walking past. She couldn't sleep with all that noise and the knowledge of the beautiful brunette girl getting back together with her ex.

"God," she sighed, running the tips of her fingers over the creases in her forehead as she frowned before knocking on the door of room 1025, the presidential suite.

Margot's room.

The brunette bride quickly reached for the handle of her door and turned it. "Hey," she whispered, looking to her friend with blurry eyes. "What's going on?"

"Are you and Roland having sex tonight?"

Margot frowned. "No."

Jennifer almost laughed. "I can't sleep in my room. Can I stay here?"

"Why?" the bride chuckled. "What's wrong?"

The blond glanced down the hallway. "It's kind of noisy in the room next to mind."

Margot smirked, letting in the older woman. "The guest bed is over in the living room."

Jennifer thanked her friend with a quick smile before making her way into the other room.

Stripping off her small sweater, the blue eyed woman tip toed toward the bed, not wanting to disturb the engaged couple anymore than she already had, before her head whipped at the sound of the door beside her opening up. She held her sweater up in defense, her eyes wide.

"Whoa!" screamed the voice, the darkness shielding her face from the Spanish teacher. The girl smacked the offending object being swung at her and stepped back. "What the hell?"

Jennifer immediately pulled back, her eyes adjusting to the light an finding her beautiful student standing by the bathroom door. "Oh Emily, I'm so sorry."

The brunette huffed, brushing her hair from her face. "What are you doing here?"

The older woman frowned. "What are you doing here?" She was supposed to be in the room next to hers with Courtney.

"My idiot brother," she groaned, ignoring the fact that her teacher was in a thin camisole and shorts as she walked back over to the bed she had been sleeping in. "He found a girl at the governor's function and took my room."

Jennifer watched, mesmerized, as the beautiful privileged girl sauntered sleepily away in her nightgown and unfolded the duvet. "So he's the one making all the noise?"

Emily giggled. "I guess," she shrugged. "He wanted my room because I have a jacuzzi tub."

The Spanish teacher made a face.

Looking up from the covers, Emily's for eyes flickered over to the blond by the door. "Why exactly are you here?"

"Margot said that I could stay here. I can't take the noise." The blue eyed woman watched as realization flickered over Emily's face. "Why didn't you go to Aaron's room?"

"My mom and dad had a fight so he's in there."

They spent a moment staring at each other through the moonlit darkness before Emily started to scoot.

"Oh no," the blond tried to laugh. "It's alright, Emily. I'll stay over on the couch."

Emily shook her head. "Those are so uncomfortable, trust me, and they don't pull out. You can stay in here with me."

Jennifer stared over to the bed. "Emily, I don't think that's appropriate."

"You'd rather wake up with a sore neck than sleep in the same bed?" The seventeen year old threw back the covers. "We'll both sleep on the edges, ok? I promise it won't be inappropriate." She stared into the older woman's eyes, her heart thudding against her breastbone so hard, she thought it would crack.

"Yeah," the blond nodded nervously. "Ok."


	9. Chapter 9

Emily's hand lay still on her pillow as she stared up to the dark ceiling above her. She had been lying in her cousin's extra bed for maybe an hour now with her teacher right by her side, and she had been fighting the strong urge to roll over and kiss the beautiful woman.

She had felt those ocean blue eyes on her that day in the pool and while she was walking away with Courtney on her hand. Was she jealous? Confused? Did she even think she was pretty? Smart? Maybe the older woman just thought she was a stupid teenager.

Emily painfully rolled her eyes. Why was she overthinking everything?

"Emily."

The seventeen year old's eyes widened at the sleepy voice of her Spanish teacher.

"Emily," the older woman almost sighed. "I can hear your brain working from over here."

The ebony haired girl cursed under her breath as she turned on her side, her eyes sealing tight and her fingers curling into the pillow she laid on.

Jennifer found herself turning on her back, her dark eyes looking over to the girl covered by he comforter. "Emily, I know you're awake." She licked the corner of her lip when she saw her student move under the covers, and she sat up on her elbow. "Why are you awake?"

Playing with the end of her pillow's case, Emily kept her dark eyes transfixed on the walk across from her. "You're awake too."

Jennifer smiled at the younger girl. "That's true. I'll tell you why I'm awake if you tell me your reason," she offered.

The teenager kept herself quiet.

"I have pretty bad insomnia," the Spanish teacher confided, not being able to see Emily's teeth sink into her pink lip. "There are some nights where I haven't fallen asleep at all. I kind of have that feeling about tonight," came her whispered voice. "It doesn't matter how tired I am. I'll fall asleep when my body feels like it." She kept her gaze soft on her student's back, watching as she squirmed gently under the covers, waiting patiently for that brunette head to turn on her pillow and face her.

"I'm uncomfortable."

Jennifer's ears perked at the surprisingly soft sound of the teen's voice.

"I thought I would be ok with you sleeping in here but I don't think I am."

Nodding her head, the Spanish teacher moves the covers off of her body and threw her legs over the side of the bed.

Emily immediately whipped around, her hand reaching out and grabbing the blonde's. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"I'm making you uncomfortable," the older woman stated. "So I'll go and sleep on the couch."

The seventeen year old immediately began shaking her head. "No, don't do that."

"Emily-"

"No," the brunette interjected. "I'm the one who said something. I'll go and sleep on the couch."

Jennifer shook her head. "Emily, it's not a problem for me to sleep on the couch."

Biting her lip, the younger girl slowly let go of the blonde's warm hand. "Why don't we just talk?" she suggested. "I'm not tired and you probably won't be falling asleep any time soon."

The blue eyed woman felt herself smiling at Emily's small joke, and her gaze immediately dropped to the hand that had let go of hers. "What's that?"

Emily's doe eyes flickered down to the ink on her left wrist. "My tattoo."

Jennifer reached forward, letting the tips of her fingers trace over the words written there. "You have a tattoo?"

"Two," she nodded, her heart pumping wildly in her chest. "This one is my first."

The blond eyed the younger girl with a smirk hiding behind her ocean orbs. "With parents like yours, you have two tattoos?"

Emily laughed at the look her teacher was giving her. "My parents are the reason for these tattoos," she grinned, laughing along with the blue eyed vixen whose camisole gently slipped down as she leaned forward.

"Well what does it mean?"

Emily's gaze traveled down to the dark ink scrawled across her wrist. "Ogni giorno è un dono. It means, 'every day is a gift' in Italian."

Jennifer looked up to her student, her smooth skinned wrist light in her hand. "You mostly speak in Italian, don't you?"

"Italian is my second language," she nodded. "Probably my favorite."

"Can you teach me some words?"

The brunette saw the small glimmer in the older woman's eyes and gently nodded her head. "Sure," she smiled shyly, loving the feeling of Jennifer's hand holding onto her. "Dov'è il bagno?"

Jennifer nodded. "Dov'è il bagno?" she repeated.

"That means, 'where is the bathroom'."

The blonde's eyes crinkled as she laughed, Emily's hand falling from hers as she clapped hers together. "Nice," she chuckled, setting her sunshine hair behind her ears. "Ok, give me another."

Emily bit her lip. "Vuoi ballare?"

Jennifer quickly nodded her head. "You said dance, I know that."

"I asked if you would like to dance," the brunette nodded, smiling at the sense of accomplishment she saw on her teacher's face. "These are the first phrases I learned."

"How old when you learned?"

Emily's brow furrowed. "Five, I think."

Jennifer's eyes widened. "Wow. I could barely read at the age of five," she laughed.

Turning at the sound of banging on the door that closed off the living room from the rest of the suite, both heads whipped around at the sound.

"If you two are done getting too friendly up in there, it would be great if the noise quieted down!" Margot rolled her eyes at the sound of her cousin trying to hold back her tears on the other side of the door. "Come on guys, it's almost three in the morning."

"Sorry," the other brunette called out, sharing a look with the woman sitting with her on the guest bed. "We'll be quiet." She smiled to the teacher sitting across from her and shook her head. "We should probably go to bed."

Jennifer watched as her newfound friend got ready to get back under the covers and lie down. "Wait," she almost whispered. "What about the other one?"

The seventeen year old turned her head. "Other what?"

"Your second tattoo."

Emily could see the question in those bright blue eyes, and all she could do was blink back the stinging she felt in her eyes. "It's on my hip. It's special," she rasped, turning on her side and closing her eyes so she didn't have to see the confusion written over the blonde's beautiful features.


	10. Chapter 10

"It doesn't fit."

Emily rolled her eyes, looking at her reflection in the three mirrors around her. She and the other bridesmaids had been trying on dresses for the past three hours and Margot still couldn't pick her favorite. "It does too."

Margot arched a brow at her cousin from behind. "No it doesn't," she stated firmly. "Try on the other one."

"Bridezilla bitch," the seventeen year old growled under her breath, stepping off of the small stage.

"Excuse me?"

Emily's head whipped around. "Vaffanculo! Questa è una stronzata totale."

Jennifer bit her lip to keep from laughing at the angry girl storming off into the dressing room.

The bride rolled her eyes. "Wanna know what she said?"

"Not really," she chuckled, sharing a smile with her friend before getting up on the stage. "So? What do you think?"

Margot eyed the dark purple color with a frown. "It's nice. Can you go try on the other purple one? Maybe I'll like it better with a slit."

Emily's head popped out of the dressing room as she struggled to hook the back of her next dress. "What exactly is wrong with the old dress for everyone?"

The bride's dark eyes glared at her little cousin. "They were not the ones I ordered."

"Yes they were!"

Margot almost stomped her foot on the tile beneath her. "I changed my mind! Now are you going to show me the dress or not?"

The brunette huffed before coming out of the dressing room, the lace of the beige dress moving against her skin as she stepped up onto the stage to stand beside her teacher. "So? What about this one?"

Taking in her student's body in the dress, her angered features and beautiful ebony hair falling from the bun she'd put it up in, Jennifer's face flushed. "It's gorgeous."

Emily smiled gently to the older woman.

Margot's wide eyes looked to the potential dress option. "It's completely see through."

"It is not!"

"I can see your tattoo," she seethed. "Go and change."

Jennifer blinked, her eyes catching the black ink on Emily's hip through the material of the dress.

Emily threw her hands up. "When are you going to pick a damn dress?"

"When you can look good in it," Margot sighed.

Emily practically had steam coming from her ears as she spun to stomp her way back into the dressing room. "Cazzo prepotente cagna. Cazzo ti odio, freak cagna."

Jennifer watched as her friend's eyes widened at the language Emily used, and she covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from laughing.

"The damn dress is stuck!"

Margot slapped her hand to her forehead, shaking her head at the groans she heard from the dressing room. "Jen, can you go and help her? I need to find Amber and what the consultant has her trying on."

The blond laughed, watching her friend walk away before venturing over to the room where her student was changing. "May I come in?" she asked, knowing on the wood beside the curtain that was used as a door.

"Yeah."

Jennifer pushed the curtain aside and stepped into the small room, hiding her smile at the seventeen year old struggling to unclasp the back of her dress. "Need some help?"

Emily huffed, throwing her hands to her sides. "The damn clasp is sticking and I can't get the dress off." She held her breath as her teacher came closer and bit her lip. "This sucks."

"What? The dress?"

"This whole thing," Emily sighed. "Coming and having to try on all of this shit. It's exhausting."

Jennifer pursed her lips. "Nice language."

Emily forced herself not to smile at the woman in the reflection of the mirror before her. "I don't need a lecture, thank you."

"Were you calling your cousin some choice words while coming back in here?"

Emily smirked. "Maybe." She held her chest as her dress was finally undone, making sure the material didn't slip. "Thank you."

Jennifer peeked down to the now exposed bare hip of the younger girl and noticed the blue and black ink sketched along her ivory skin. "A bird?"

The brunette looked to the mirror to see her teacher staring down to where her second tattoo was. "Oh," she whispered, looking down to her hip. "Yeah."

"It's beautiful," the blue eyed woman stated in awe, her jaw almost ready to drop at the intricate line work. "Very detailed."

"My friend Matthew passed away," she whispered, looking back to their reflections. "I lived in Italy for a few years and he was there with his parents. He was my best friend."

Jennifer met the younger girl's eyes in the mirror.

She licked her bottom lip, shrugging her naked shoulders as delicately as possible. "He was in a boating accident on a trip to Venice, and so I thought it would be best to get something to remember him by." The teenager gave a smile, imagining the face of her best friend as she stared into those blue eyes of her teacher. "He always called me his hummingbird. Quiet but quick."

The blond let her hands brush over Emily's shoulders. "That's beautiful." She quickly stepped back, smiling gently to the brunette. "I'll be right outside, ok?"

Not wanting the older woman to leave her side, Emily found herself opening her mouth. "Would you like to sit with me?" she asked.

Jennifer turned back around. "Sit with you?"

"At the dinner tonight," Emily nodded. "We don't have assigned seating, and my brother will probably want to bring the girl he met last night."

Jennifer saw the beg in her student's dark eyes, and she slowly nodded her head, seeing a smile appear on the seventeen year old's beautiful face. "Sure. I'd love that."

Only three hours later, Jennifer walked into the restaurant with a few other of the bridesmaids, her blue eyes landing on the Prentiss-Hotchner clan sitting around the biggest table in the restaurant.

Emily's head turned at the sound of her cousin's name being called, and her throat quickly closed at the sight of the beautiful woman in her little black dress.

She was so screwed.


	11. Chapter 11

"New dress?"

Jennifer looked up from the napkin she was lying in her lap and smirked at her friend. "No. Why?"

Margot shrugged. "You just looked dressed up, that's all."

The brunette at the Spanish teacher's side rolled her teeth over her pink lip. "You look great," she almost stuttered, smiling when Jennifer looked over to her.

"Thank you," the older woman smiled, her hand brushing Emily's as she brought it up from her lap to cup her glass of water. "You look great too."

Emily could feel herself blushing as she smiled back up to the beautiful woman, noticing the beautiful curled tendrils that framed her face. "Thank you."

"If you two are done flirting," came the voice of Emily's ex, her eyes rolling hard in her head. "The ambassador wants your attention."

Jennifer shared a look with the girl at her side before smiling to the woman staring their way. "Good evening, ambassador."

Emily's mother smiled to the pair. "Evening, Ms. Jareau. You look gorgeous."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Well," she sighed gently, looking to the family members she had seated around her. "Margot's wedding is in two days as we all know, but we are staying for a bit longer if everyone is alright with that."

Emily frowned. "I thought you and daddy had a meeting in Spain on Sunday."

"We did, but we had it moved to Sacramento. You all will stay here while your father and I travel with your aunts and uncles."

Emily felt Jennifer's eyes on her as she looked to her mother. "And by 'you all' you mean?"

Ambassador Prentiss eyed her daughter. "The family and those we've brought with us."

Jennifer saw the anxiety shining behind those dark doe eyes as the realization hit her. Courtney was going to have to stay with them.

Hearing a small giggle from the side of the table, the family and their friends looked up to see Aaron standing near the empty chair with the girl he had scored with the night before.

Elizabeth Prentiss glared at her son. "Come back alone, Aaron Richard."

The seventeen year old laughed lightly at the way her brother immediately turned around and escorted his date out of the restaurant. "Classy," she whispered to herself.

Jennifer smirked, taking her glass of water from between her lips. "And add that to last night? Your brother is one classy fellow."

"You should have seen him during puberty," Emily chuckled, laughing lowly along with the blond at her side. "Hornier than a dog that hasn't humped anything but its owner's leg in a year," she whispered, her voice drunk with laughter.

Courtney eyed the laughing pair beside her with her chestnut eyes, frowning at the smiles on their faces.

That older bitch was trying to steal her girlfriend.

"Ms. Jareau," she piped up, smiling to the Spanish teacher from over her ex. "How is it you know Margot?"

Licking the remainder of water droplets from her lips, Jennifer looked away from the seventeen year old's gorgeous brown eyes to look to the questioning girl. "We went to college together."

Courtney smiled. "Lovely."

"And how do you know Margot, Courtney? Or were you just here to accompany Emily to last night's dinner?"

"I'm Emily's guest to the wedding," the blond grinned evilly.

Emily looked up from the drink she'd been staring at and glared at the girl she used to call her girlfriend. "You're a guest of my mother," she drawled, wanting to gag at the smug look on Courtney's face. "I didn't invite you."

"Emily," the ambassador scolded from the head of the table. "Manners."

"Maybe you should remind your precious Courtney that," Emily scowled, yanking her hand away from the girl who tried to grab it. "You know, the girl who continues to try and grab at me under the table and force me into PDA when we're not even together. It's like you don't care."

"Care about what, sweetie?" Courtney teased, playing with her ex's fingers.

Emily pushed away the brown eyed girl's hand and stood, her chair sliding out from under her. "Care about the fact that my whore of an ex doesn't give two shits about my feelings. I DON'T like you, do you get that? So stop trying to touch me and get me to make us look like a couple. I broke up with you for a reason."

"Emily Rose," the mother of two scowled.

The brunette, with glassy brown eyes, immediately shook her head to silence the older woman. "Stop. Stop acting like she's your child and I'm not."

Jennifer's eyes widened as she watched the young girl run from the restaurant. Taking the napkin from her lap, she stood and threw it on the decorated dinner table. "You should be ashamed." She turned and walked out into the rainy evening, searching through the bustles of people to see the seventeen year old throwing her soaking wet hair away from her face. "Emily! Emily?"

The ivory skinned girl shook her head. "Go away!"

Running after the beautiful young girl, Jennifer caught up with her underneath an overhang to keep them dry. "Hey," she breathed, turning the brunette to face her. "Talk to me."

Emily's lips quivered at the compassion she saw in her teacher's eyes, and she couldn't stop the tears from falling from hers. "It's like my mother hates me," she spewed, glaring back at the restaurant where she saw her cousins and uncles looking to them from the entrance door. "She's never cared about how I felt and this trip is no different."

Jennifer reached toward the brunette and cupped her cheek in her palm, getting her to turn and face her. "Come with me."

"What?"

She could see the confusion in hose precious dark eyes, and Jennifer smoothed down her student's dark hair. "Come on."


	12. Chapter 12

The blue eyed beauty kept her arms around the shivering girl as they walked toward the other end of the hotel. She knew the brunette in her hold was doing her best to keep back her tears, but as they sat down on the stone bench Jennifer had found, she could hear a whimper echo around the room.

"Emily," she whispered, lifting the young girl's chin with her fingers to try and get her to look up. "Sweetie, just look at me."

Emily sniffled, avoiding the curious eyes and gazing over to the pond they sat beside. "I'm sorry," she hiccuped, feeling her hot breath fan her face when she let out a huff. "This is stupid."

"Your feelings aren't stupid."

Rolling her eyes, Emily's chin started to tremble. "Tell that to my parents." She looked around her and saw a trickling waterfall on the other side of the room. "Where are we?"

The blond tried for a smile. "Margot told me you like lilies," she whispered happily, watching Emily look at the flowers that surrounded them.

Emily went to open her mouth to thank the older woman, but as she felt her eyes welling with new tears, she shook her head.

Jennifer reached up and dusted the seventeen year old's cheeks to wipe the tears away. "Tell me why this is upsetting you so much," she pried gently, her thumb brushing against the corner of Emily's eye. "Please?"

"I hate her," Emily seethed. "I fucking hate her. Courtney is this relentless, jealous, vindictive bitch and my mom knows what she did to me."

"What did she do?"

Emily's eyes flickered over to the blonde's for the quickest second before they looked down to her hands. "I wasn't ready," her voice cracked.

Jennifer took the young girl's shaking hands, trying her best to read those ivory features. "Wasn't ready?"

Rolling her lips in, Emily was quick to shake her head. "It doesn't matter," she rasped, shrugging the sad feeling away. "It doesn't matter anymore."

The blond smoothed her thumb over Emily's knuckles.

"She just doesn't care. She doesn't care about anyone but herself and I'm so sick of it."

Whether she was talking about Courtney or her mother, Jennifer didn't know. "Sweetie, look at me."

Emily glanced up with her reddening eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered, shaking her head when Jennifer raised her brow. "I'm sorry for crying all over you. I'm sorry for making you listen to me when you don't need to." She rolled her brown eyes and laughed. "You're not my therapist, you know."

"I can be for today," the Spanish teacher smiled. "Tell me anything you want."

Sucking in a breath, Emily let the older woman tighten those soft hands around hers. "They didn't even remember my birthday," she shrugged, her features pained as she tried to smile. "Not like it's anything unusual, but..."

Jennifer's jaw dropped. "Your parents forgot your birthday?" What kind of a family was this?

"My dad came by this morning and wished me a happy birthday," she nodded. "He gave me a present. And my cousins and uncles said happy birthday. But my mom, she just doesn't care."

The blond moved closer to the young girl, wanting to try and comfort her as best she could. "What about your brother?"

Emily laughed. "My brother and I don't say 'happy birthday' until the exact time we were born. Some silly tradition. But my mom was more interested in getting Courtney settled in and comfortable rather than just say those two words to me."

Leaning forward, Jennifer took her hands from the brunette so she could wipe away her tears. "Happy birthday, Emily."

The brown eyed girl saw the smile that her teacher was giving her, her bright teeth shining right at her. "Thank you," she smiled, her eyes widening when she felt a kiss being pressed to her damp cheek.

Jennifer let her lips stay pushed against the salty skin of Emily's cheek for a handful of seconds before pulling away. "Happy eighteenth."

"Thank you," she breathed, her eyes fluttering shut as Jennifer kissed along her cheek. She felt her jaw drop just slightly, her breath wafting through the air as those pink lips traveled along toward her jaw.

"Your mother is not a person you have to like," she whispered to the brunette. "You will always love her, but you don't have to like her. I get it. But remember how much everyone else loves you, ok?"

Emily looked up into those blue eyes that seemed so close to her now. "Everyone?"

Brushing her lips against those of the brown eyed beauty before her, Jennifer tangled her fingers into those brown locks of her student. "Everyone."


	13. Chapter 13

Lips pressing needily against the older woman's, Emily brought her hands up to the blonde's neck to steady herself. She had never tasted anything so sweet before.

She let her fingers thumb the ends of that golden blond hair as Jennifer's lips parted against hers, and all the newly eighteen year old could do was follow the older woman's lead.

Jennifer took the younger girl's wandering hand in hers, her teeth scraping along Emily's plump bottom lip when she kissed it. Sucking in the brunette's hot breath, Jennifer intertwined their fingers and pulled away. "You're beautiful."

Emily sighed into the older woman's mouth that gently separated from hers. "You think so?" she asked, her chocolate eyes keeping themselves closed as she felt Jennifer's nose brush along hers. No one had ever called her beautiful before.

She could see the tears still present in those beautiful brown eyes, and the blond set her forehead against the teen's. "So beautiful."

Emily tilted her head back so the a Spanish teacher could brush her lips against hers, and she took in a breath, following the blonde's lead with their fingers dancing together.

"I have never met a girl so beautiful," Jennifer whispered, her right hand traveling up the younger girl's arm and cupping the back of her head. "I have never met anyone so smart, witty," she husked. "So special."

The eighteen year old's eyes watered at words that were whispered against her mouth. "You don't have to lie to me."

Jennifer's heart broke at the crack in the brunette's voice. "What would make you think that?" she almost cried, staring into those beautiful dark eyes that she had felt staring at her every day they were together.

"¿Cómo puedo ser tan especial cuando he estropeado todo?" _How can I be so special when I've ruined everything?_

Jennifer scooted closer to the crying girl who sat before her, her arms wrapping around the eighteen year old and bringing their heads together. "What makes you think that? What have you ruined?"

Emily tried to stop her quivering lips. "Everything," she shrugged, shaking her head. "My life, others lives. Everything."

Forcing the brown eyed girl's gaze to connect with hers, the older woman tugged at her chin with her fingers. "I don't think you realize what you're saying. You're the one person I've ever met who knows how to make others feel like they're special," she whispered encouragingly. "You took the time out to make me feel like the only girl in the room when you looked at me. I see the way you are with your friends, and with your family," the blond chuckled. "Your sarcasm, that dry wit that's just on the verge of extremely inappropriate almost every moment."

The brunette laughed. "You make me sound like this horny old man," she laughed, glancing down to Jennifer's pink lips.

"I wouldn't be kissing you if you were a man."

Emily pursed her lips. "So it's ok if I'm old?"

Laughing along with the younger girl, the Spanish teacher knocked her forehead against Emily's. "See that? You're smiling again."

Her chocolate eyes fluttered closed at the brief kiss Jennifer set to her lips, and Emily set her hand to the blonde's waist. "Thank you." She leaned forward, for the first time pressing her lips to Jennifer's.

And she smiled when she kissed her back.


	14. Chapter 14

Waking to the sound of her cousin's shrill voice outside her room, Emily smiled into her pillow.

Jennifer had made her feel so special the night before, hugging her and joking with her and letting her cry on her shoulder.

And the kissing didn't hurt either.

After spending an hour more in the blond woman's arms just listening to the waterfall, Emily let her lead her up to her hotel suite to rest up for the big day to come. Jennifer had let their fingers brush before walking down the hall toward her own room, and she had no idea that the younger girl had leaned against her doorframe and watched her walk away before heading into her room.

Emily grinned a goofy grin as she sat up in her bed, fixing the top of her nightgown that began to slip. She hadn't slept much that night, her mind always wandering to the blond bombshell she was getting the privilege to know, and somehow she had never felt more rested.

"Emily? Are you up yet?"

"Yeah," she nodded, standing from her bed. "I'm up."

"Ottenere il cazzo qui, vero?" _Get the fuck out here, will you?_

Emily cast a stiff glance toward her bedroom door. "Sta 'zitto! Sarò lì in un minuto!" _Shut the fuck up! I'll be there in a minute!_ She laughed as she heard her cousin storm away from her door, and she quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, not bothering to go and find a bra to keep her contained before walking out into the hall.

"Emily?"

Turning, the eighteen year old saw Margot's best friend standing near her. "Grace, hi," she smiled. "You coming?" They had to get ready in her cousin's room and be finished by two or they'd be dead.

The redhead quickly nodded. "I will be, I just have to run out really quickly. Jennifer asked if I'd seen you," the older woman shrugged. "She's over in Margot's room."

Emily bit her lip. "Thank you." Knocking on her cousin's door, she was immediately pulled into the room with her hair flying in her face. "Nice to see you too," the brunette laughed, seeing the pain on her brother's face. "What are you even doing in here?"

"I was only supposed to make sure the goodie bags were right. Only that!"

Emily's brown eyes widened. "And? What's the problem?"

Aaron looked at his little sister as if she had two heads. "There are over six hundred people coming," he hissed, glaring at the laughing girl before storming out of the room.

The brunette girl bit her lip to try and keep from laughing too loud, her dark eyes glancing around the hectic room to try and find the woman who had managed to make her feel better the night before.

"Em?"

Looking up, the eighteen year old could barely open her mouth to reply before she was dragged across the room and shoved into a chair that sat before an empty makeup station.

"Sit," instructed her cousin, "and let them get your hair done so then you can get into your dress. If we're even a minute late, I'll kill you."

Emily's eyes widened as the hairdressers immediately started to come and spray her hair. "We have four hours left!" Seeing the glare her cousin was sending her, the teenager quickly quieted herself down and sat back in her seat, staring at her reflection and puffing up her cheeks.

"That's cute."

Turning her head, Emily smiled. "Hey," she almost whispered, seeing Jennifer sit down beside her so the other hairdressers could finish spraying her curls. "You look beautiful."

Jennifer smiled shyly to the younger girl, feeling a touch of guilt when she saw the happiness spark in her eyes. "So do you. How are you feeling?"

"A lot better," she sighed, nodding to the older woman and wanting to reach over and take her hand. "Thank you for last night."

The hairdresser wrapping the ambassador's daughter's already curling hair around the curling iron in his hand smirked at the statement, and he looked in the mirror to catch Emily's eyes. "Last night?"

Emily glared. "Pas un mot, Phillip." _Not one word, Phillip._

Jennifer watched the interaction with weary eyes. "You two know each other?"

"Phillip does my hair for every event our family has," Emily nodded.

"Elle est une petite chose sexy, Emily. Tu ferais mieux de garder près de lui." _She's a sexy little thing, Emily. You better keep her close._

Seeing Emily's eyes bulge, Jennifer leaned over the edge of her chair to get closer to the brunette girl. "What did he say?" She for sure heard the word 'sexy' come out of his mouth.

"Nothing," the younger girl immediately laughed, trying to cover up the cocky smile her hairdresser was wearing on his face. "He didn't say a thing."

Jennifer gave a small nod, leaning over and taking Emily's hand in hers. "When you're done, can I talk to you?"

The brunette's dark eyes connected with the older woman's, feeling those talented and soft fingers gliding against hers as she nodded. "Of course." Tilting her head to the side, she tried to silently ask the beautiful woman on her hand if they were alright. If they were going to be ok and comfortable with one another at the wedding.

If they could go past this vacation and continue what they had when they were back at home.


	15. Chapter 15

Jennifer fixed the small train of her beautiful lilac colored dress, the gold accents sparkling around her shoulders as she walked under the sunlight outside the church. They had finally made it to the church with all the bridesmaids ready and prepared to walk down the aisle the way the bride had instructed them, and with all the hecticness going on around her, the voices and noises ringing in her ears as they continued to get ready, all the teacher could think about was the young girl she had kissed the night before.

Raking her front two teeth over her madeup bottom lip, Jennifer stared up at the cross that was embedded into the stone right above the church's entrance. Was what she had done with the brunette girl wrong? She was eighteen, it technically wasn't illegal, but she was her student. Emily was a beautiful girl, a special girl, but what would people say?

Her dark hair was something that was extremely attractive; the beautiful ebony tendrils somehow shining a bright auburn in the sun, and for some reason Jennifer found that the most attractive thing about her. How she was perceived one way in a certain light and a different in another.

She was a mystery that the blond wanted to decipher.

"Jen?"

Turning, Jennifer smiled wide to the woman behind her. "Grace, hi. I thought you were Margot for a minute," she laughed, thumbing gently at the flowers she held.

The older woman gave a small laugh. "You look beautiful," she nodded, seeing the smile the blond was giving her in return for the compliment. "So, if I may, what's going on?"

Jennifer felt herself frown at the question. "With what?"

"You and Emily?"

The blue eyed woman's jaw dropped at the insinuation. "Excuse me?"

Grace tried to shake her head and calm the woman down with a small smile in her chestnut eyes. "I'm not saying anything is wrong. I just want to make sure that everything is going to be ok between you and the family if this happens."

"If what happens?" Jennifer could tell that her voice had an edge, anxiousness welling up inside of her.

Grace tilted her head to the side, looking into those scared eyes the younger woman held. "I can tell that you like her," she smiled softly. "But I've known the Hotchner-Prentiss' for years. I need you to know, if Margie hasn't told you already, that Emily is a fragile young girl." Seeing the features of the blond relaxing, Grace took a tentative step forward. "Just know to be careful with her."

Jennifer watched the older woman walk away, and her hands clutched tighter around the bouquet she had been given when they arrived at the church. She knew more about Emily than Grace seemed to think she did, but that didn't change the fact that it might not be the best idea to stay with a girl so you.

Not the best idea to get invested in a girl who she at least thought she knew for less than a month.

Jennifer sighed.

But Emily was perfect. Emily was a beautiful, smart and special girl who had poured her heart out to her.

Emily was someone she could see herself being happy with.

"Jennifer?"

The blonde's head popped up at the seductive note in the familiar voice, and her blue eyes immediately caught those chocolate ones that easily sucked her into their depths. "Hi," she almost stuttered, nodding jerkily to the younger girl.

Emily's lips puckered before her tongue ventured between them to moisten the chapped skin there. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah! No yeah, no everything's fine."

Emily felt herself frown at the stuttered words. "Are you sure?" She stepped toward the older woman with a small smile, wanting to comfort her with everything she had, and she let their fingers gently tangle together, her pinky wrapping around the blonde's. "What has you so flustered?"

Jennifer's eyes widened slightly. When had the brunette taken the control in whatever relationship they had? Since when was she the calm one? "What do you mean?"

"Did I do something?"

There is was; the insecurity that had been there the night before now written across those beautiful features the younger girl had. It didn't matter how much makeup she had on or how her hair was styled. All Jennifer could see was the question lingering in those brown eyes Emily held.

Curling her finger tighter around the younger girl's, Jennifer shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, I'm sorry. I just think we have to talk."

Emily nodded in understanding. "But not right now."

"Not right now," she agreed.

Hearing the music begin to play from inside, the eighteen year old with her hair curled as if she were a fifties film star smiled an awkward smile. "Will you sit with me at the reception?"

Jennifer forced her tears back when she caught Grace's eyes over Emily's slim shoulder, and she gave a small nod. "Of course," she whispered. "I'd be honored."

Emily held tightly onto the blonde's warm hand and followed her up into the church, a hot breath escaping her mouth when they had to break apart and hold their bouquets so they could walk down the aisle.


	16. Chapter 16

Walking off of the dance floor with the rest of the bridesmaids, Jennifer laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder and finding a seat at the table she had been assigned to. Sadly, no one but the family was at the head table, and that included her lovely little Emily who she had the honor of dancing with when the bride had called all of her bridesmaids onto the floor.

During the reception, the pair had been standing so close Jennifer knew that Emily could feel her breathing on her neck. She had seen those tiny hairs on the back of the eighteen year old's neck as she breathed against them, and she could have sworn Emily shivered.

"May I have this dance?"

Jennifer looked up to the sound of a deep voice above her, and her eyes hit the smiling face of her beautiful Emily's older brother. "Aaron, is it?"

He nodded, giving her his hand and pulling her out of her seat so he could take the older woman out onto the dance floor. "I just wanted to have a small chat with you," he smiled warmly, bringing the Spanish teacher close to him and setting his free hand to the small of her back.

"Have a chat?" she questioned, trying to catch his eyes as he twirled her around on the polished floor boards sparkling under the sunlight. "Have a chat about what?"

Aaron shrugged at the question. "You wanting to stick your tongue down my little sister's throat." Looking down to the older woman in his arms, he smiled at those big blue eyes bulging from her head. "Don't look so surprised. I saw you two at the wedding. And," he laughed, turning his back to his family that sat back at their table. "Emily tells me everything."

"What exactly did she tell you?"

The eighteen year old smirked. "I know you two didn't sleep together yet, and that's something big. But I know how great you made her feel the other night, how much you helped her."

Jennifer glanced over to the table that sat the bride and her family, and she immediately caught the attention of the beautiful brunette teenager clinking glasses with one of her uncles, that radiant smile flashing over to her before she turned her attention back to her family. "She's helped me too."

Hearing that husk in the older woman's voice, Aaron wrapped his hand tighter around hers. "Just be careful with her, ok? She's been fucked over one too many times and I can guarantee you that if you do the same thing, I have the power to blackball you and your name throughout the entire country."

She gulped, and she knew the younger boy could hear the action by the smirk on his face, and she slowly gave a nod of the head. "I would never intentionally hurt your sister," she said quietly, knowing other members of the Hotchner-Prentiss family were dancing near them. "She's a very special girl," the blond acknowledged. "I would hate to hurt her."

"So don't."

Jennifer licked her bottom lip, seeing the fierce fire in Aaron's eyes as he walked off, sitting down beside his sister and giving her a kiss on her cheek.

"So you two are a couple?"

The woman in her twenties spun around at the inquiring voice, and she saw Courtney standing there in her blood red dress with her arms somehow elegantly crossed over her chest. "Excuse me?"

The other blond smirked to the older woman standing before her. "You and our precious little Emily. I honestly don't see why you're so into her," she shrugged. "Emily is a sad girl, Jennifer."

The blue eyed woman frowned at the calling of her first name.

"You may think she's a beautiful girl with great potential and charisma, trust me I did too, but Emily is going to drive you crazy. And not in that fun, sex filled way you're hoping for," Courtney grinned. "She's clingy, and jealous, and the first moment you even accidentally look at another girl, forewarning about the tongue lashing to come."

Jennifer nodded. "Again, not in a good way?"

"Exactly."

Seeing the conceited smile spreading over the younger girl's face, Jennifer bit her lip. "You know Courtney, it's weird. The same exact comment was made about you last night to me, and frankly I don't believe a single word you've said. I think I know Emily a little better than you."

Courtney's eyes hardened on the older blond. "I went out with her for years, I'll have you know."

"And losing someone so special and perfect must have truly been hard for you," the Spanish teacher gently nodded. "But you only have yourself to blame. The reason Emily would give up a girl like you is because you're a shitty human being. You forced Emily into something she wasn't ready for and you tell her you love her as you make her feel less than she is. What if someone were to do that to you?"

Her brown eyes dulled. "Do you know my parents?"

The corners of Jennifer's mouth tilted up. "Just know that I plan on giving Emily everything I can; something you weren't able to do."

"You barely know the bitch."

Jennifer took a deadly step forward, her nose just shy of touching the younger girl's as her sky blue eyes turned into a dark cobalt. "You watch your mouth," she sneered, watching as Courtney's eyes widened, "or I'll be sure to make you regret it."

Sitting back on her heels, Courtney watched Jennifer saunter off the dance floor, Emily's eyes catching the Spanish teacher's as she rounded the table to whisper those sweet nothings in her ear.


	17. Chapter 17

"The night is beautiful."

Holding back what she truly wanted to say, _"You're the one who's beautiful,",_ Emily let her eyes linger on the blond who sat beside her on the beach bench they had found just a ways away from the reception that was still going on. Jennifer had requested to take her hand, and the newly eighteen year old let her lead her onto the sandy shores of the beach.

They had carried their heels in their free hands, the trains of their dresses trailing through the warm grains of sand they walked on. For some reason, the elder of the two didn't speak more than a handful of words to Emily as they walked along the beach, but the teen could feel the serenity and comfortableness settling between them the more time they spent together.

Emily smiled when Jennifer turned her head and looked to her. "It is," she agreed, giving a goofy grin when she felt the older woman scoot toward her.

"Thanks for coming out with me," she smiled.

Emily couldn't take in a big enough breath to fill her lungs as the blond beside her took her hand, their thumbs brushing against one another as they laid their intertwined hands on the bench they sat on.

Fluttering her lashes, Jennifer was tempted to lean forward and kiss the younger girl. "Being with you today has made me so happy."

The brunette girl knew that they hadn't been able to have much time together that day, but a new relationship was a new relationship, and they both cherished every moment they had together. "Me too," she smiled with a giggle escaping her chest. "Thank you for sticking up for me."

"What do you mean?"

Emily saw the older woman's frown, and she gave a small shake of the head. "I saw you and Courtney on the dance floor back at the reception," she shrugged, seeing the realization pop up in those beautiful blue eyes. "I know the looks she has by now; how dark her eyes can get when she's focusing or how she stands when she's defending herself. I know she was saying something bad about me."

Jennifer leaned forward, cupping the teen's cheek in her hand. "I didn't let her say a thing," she insisted, her eyes hard on the brunette's.

"I know you stood up for me," Emily whispered graciously, letting the blond set their foreheads together, their breath mingling together as the sun continued to go down. "I could see some of what you were saying to her, how she was everything she was saying I was and how you would make sure she'd regret saying what she said."

"I would never let anyone speak badly about you, let alone some girl you didn't even love."

Emily hesitated before reaching forward and pecking the blonde's gorgeous lips. "I can guess what she said," the ambassador's daughter breathed, "but I know that you wouldn't let her put me down. You're too into me to put up with that."

Seeing the younger girl's wiggling eyebrows, the blond immediately broke into laughter, her head thrown back and her hair flipping out of her eyes. "Well obviously."

"Thank you," the brunette nodded, knowing how hard her ex could be to deal with. "You didn't have to do that for me."

"But I did."

Emily flashed a shy smile to the older woman before glancing down to their clasped hands. "So, can I ask what we're planning to do when we get home? If we plan to do anything at all." She didn't want to admit it, but she was nervous that no matter how into each other they were, they wouldn't be able to hold onto the tiny spark they had found.

Jennifer reached up and brushed her fingers along the madeup cheek of the brown eyed girl. "I very much want to try and figure this out. I love spending time with you."

Emily bit into her bottom lip and smiled. "You realize we've been together for a day."

"It's been a great day."

"Last night was amazing," the privileged girl whispered, letting Jennifer press their lips together for a long kiss. "They way you just held me? I couldn't have asked for anything more." She saw the glint in her maybe-girlfriend's eyes and Emily immediately let out a laugh. "Ok well maybe I could have, but I'm nowhere near ready for anything like that."

Jennifer grinned, her nose poking into the younger girl's cheek as she leaned into her. "I'll wait as long as you need me to. But for the time being, we have an entire week together before we have to leave."

Emily tightened her hand around Jennifer's. "Will you lay with me tonight?" she asked, knowing that she would want to spend as much time with her as she could.

"I was going to ask you the same thing."


	18. Chapter 18

Emily threw her hair up into a messy bun as she shed the dress from her body, leaning down to turn on the faucet of her tub. She and Jennifer had gone back to the hotel just before the reception had ended, not wanting to get stuck in the traffic with the hundreds of people all leaving at the same time, and the teen saw the young man behind the front desk wink at them as they walked by him hand in hand while heading to the elevator.

"Em? Do you need me to get you anything?"

The brunette smiled to herself at the voice just beyond the bathroom door, and she shimmied gently out of her underwear. "I'm alright, I promise. I'll be about a half an hour." The sand on the beach had made her skin start to itch, and her eczema then began to act up when the sea breeze hit her. "I just need to soak in the water."

Jennifer leaned against the bathroom door, hearing the younger girl pour the buckets of ice into the jacuzzi tub. She and Emily had wanted to go to sleep straight away, but Emily calming the irritation of her skin was the most important. She didn't want the brown eyed girl to suffer as they laid together in one another's arms, and she wanted the best for her new girl. "Well do you want me to set anything up out here?"

Emily's brows raised at the question. "What would you be setting up?" she chuckled, gasping slightly as she stepped into the ice in her tub. "Snack table? Movie selection? Pillow fort? Sex bar?"

The blond laughed at the suggestion from the other side of the door. "Thought we weren't there yet."

"Depends on the mood," she chuckled, finally letting her body relax in the freezing ice. "But for now, I think we can stick with the movies."

Jennifer's hand lifted from her lap and drew against the wood of the bathroom door, imaging the beautiful face that hid just behind the barrier. "How does you skin feel, sweetie?"

Hearing the term of endearment hit her ears as she soaked in the freezing water, Emily's dark eyes stung. This older woman she was falling for knew how to make her feel so completely special with saying barely a word. Jennifer couldn't have known what an impact the words she spoke to the eighteen year old had on her, and for tears to enter Emily's eyes by that question with that one special word said more than any action ever could. How would she be able to repay the blond for what she had done for her?

"Emily?" the older woman tried, her eyes staring intently at the door as she sat up a little straighter. "Em, are you ok?"

The brunette girl opened up the door and fell to her knees, taking her new friend into a hug.

Jennifer's jaw dropped to the eighteen year old's shoulder, her arms immediately enveloping the brown eyed girl in her arms as she felt those hot tears pouring from Emily's eyes drip onto the material of her shirt. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"Thank you," she sighed shakily against the blonde's neck, pressing her swollen lips to her cheek. "Thank you so much."

She didn't need to ask. Jennifer pulled the younger girl up with her and sat her on the edge of the bed they would share for the night. She pulled the tie around Emily's robe tighter before covering their bodies, hugging the teen to her as tight as she could to get those tears to stop.


	19. Chapter 19

"Remember your pill, darling."

Emily's eyes rolled at the warning her mother gave her; not a reminder, a warning. She was afraid she'd end up pregnant like she did in her teen years and have to abort the baby. Emily was smarter than that.

And somehow her mother didn't make the connection that she only slept with girls.

"I've got it, mother," she nodded, letting the older woman press a kiss to her cheek before she instructed the bellhop to carry her bags out to the car.

Jennifer watched from a distance, her arms crossed defensively over her chest as she watched her friend's parents get the bags ready to be taken to their car that waited outside. She was completely disgusted with the way the ambassador had treated her daughter, but for the respect of her and the respect of her beautiful friend she was falling for, she was staying out of the situation.

The brunette teen grinned, letting her father scoop her up in a hug. "I'll see you when we fly out, ok? Love you daddy."

"You tell that girl of yours to keep you safe out here without your mother and I."

Emily's eyes widened, her body freezing in her father's arms. "W-What?"

Charles fought the urge to smile down to his daughter, seeing the fear of someone finding them out radiating throughout her. "Grandi occhi, do you not know your parents? We know everything there is to know about you."

The brunette girl's jaw dropped at the words coming from her father's mouth. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, tears immediately springing into her eyes. "Please don't be mad at me."

"Pumpkin, why would I be mad at you?"

Emily's head shook, sucking in a breath as her father clutched her hands. "I know she's my teacher, I know that. But I really like her," she whispered desperately, begging the man who had nurtured her for her entire life to understand where she was coming from. "And I know she likes me, I know she does. Daddy, please don't hate me."

Charles looked up to see the blond they happened to be talking about standing near the elevators with her eyes hard on their exchange. "Come on, darling." He led his daughter to the closest couch in the lobby and sat her down beside him. "You know that I will always love you."

The brown eyed girl used her fist to wipe a tear from her cheek, nodding to the man who looked lovingly into her eyes.

"You are my beautiful little girl," he smiled, cupping his princess' damp cheek. "Do you think I would ever turn you away? Look at you differently? Emily princess, it doesn't matter to me who you date. As long as they love you for you and are good to you, I'm ok with them."

Emily forced her lips not to quiver as she threw her arms around her father's neck, hearing her brother and mother saying goodbye near the hotel entrance. "I love you, daddy."

Charles grinned against his daughter's dark hair. "I love you too, my baby girl."

Jennifer stood up straight as she watched both ambassadors walk out to their car, Emily practically sprinting back to her when the car was out of sight. "Hey," she whispered, seeing the tear stains along those pale cheeks. "Is everything ok?"

The teenager's dark eyes stared hard into the blonde's ocean blues, her hand reaching down to grip hers. "Venga con me." _Come with me._

The harsh whisper made the breath in Jennifer's lungs escape. She let Emily drag her out of the hotel and into the sunlight, the younger girl pulling her out to a small, secluded garden area before she found herself pushed up against the hotel wall.

Jennifer's hands immediately gripped at the brunette's hips when those plump lips crashed into hers, letting Emily plunge her tongue into her mouth and run along hers.

Chuckling silently into the older woman's mouth, Emily fisted Jennifer's golden blond hair and forced the teacher's head to bend and fall to the side so she could dominate the kiss.

The blue eyed woman felt the knot in her stomach tie tighter.

Emily sure knew how to kiss.

"Wait wait," she breathed, forcing the younger girl to stop her kisses so she could look at her. "What's going on?"

The brunette girl slowly shook her head. "What do you mean?"

"You have a conversation with your dad and then all of a sudden you're all over me? What's going on?"

Emily giggled, leaning her forehead against the older woman's. "My dad's pretty perceptive," she laughed, Jennifer's eyes immediately attaching to those beautiful dimples popping out onto her face. "He knows about us, and he's completely ok with it."

Jennifer's eyes bugged. "Really?"

The eighteen year old excitedly nodded her head.

Jennifer smiled, letting the younger girl press a kiss to her lips one more time. "So now can I treat you to what I've been talking about?"

Emily's smile grew at the question. The blond had been wanting to treat her to some kind of surprise right after her parents left the hotel, and now they finally could do it. "Let's go."


	20. Chapter 20

Biting hard into her bottom lip, Emily tilted her head to the side and let the blonde's hands travel further down her neck to the dip between that and her collarbone. They were sitting out by the pool, the waiters standing idly by with their trays of drinks and snacks, the plate of chocolate covered strawberries now half gone.

Jennifer had surprised the younger girl with a full day of pampering by their own private pool, set out and away from her family that just happened to be peeking over to them whenever they got the chance.

"Down a little more."

The blond smiled against the beautiful girl's dark hair before sitting on her knees behind her and trailing her hands down to the eighteen year old's delicate shoulders.

Emily grinned, feeling Jennifer press a gentle kiss to the top curve of her ear. "Harder," she grunted, rolling her shoulders when her teacher's talented fingers hit a knot.

"Bossy little thing, aren't you?" Jennifer teased.

The teen jumped at the nip to the skin just under her ear, her eyes widening when Jennifer's hands began to trail down her back. "Fucking tease," she almost cackled, turning her head so the blond could peck her lips. Emily reached over to the tray of strawberries, thanking the waiter who held it with a smile, and presenting it to the woman behind her.

Jennifer leaned forward, brushing her lips over the tip of the treat before turning to the brunette. "For me?"

Emily gave a small smile.

She bit into the sweet treat she had been offered, droplets of the juice sticking to her lips as she leaned into kiss the beautiful girl before her.

Not minding the craning of her neck, she kissed the older woman with a smile spreading over her face, her fingers dropping the rest of the fruit so she could tangle her fingers in Jennifer's golden hair. "Kiss me," she whispered, her teeth nipping at the blonde's bottom lip. "Kiss me again."

Jennifer smiled, pressing a long kiss against those plump lips of the ebony haired girl. "My turn," she chuckled, running her hands down the eighteen year old's tanning arms before turning in the chair.

Emily rolled her eyes and turned, watching the older woman lie on her stomach and rest her head on her folded arms.

Her jaw dropped, eyes popping open when the eighteen year old sat on the backs of her legs. She could feel Emily's heat immediately radiate onto her, and she bit her lip to stop herself from moaning when the younger girl leaned down.

"Good?" she innocently asked, taking the teacher's hair and putting it up into a bun so she could massage the smooth skin of her neck and shoulders. "You're so tan."

Jennifer laughed lightly into her arms. "Same to you."

Emily smirked, flipping her hair and letting the ebony tendrils dance along Jennifer's back.

Her back arched, and she heard a laugh from the younger girl above her when she let out a small moan. "Em, don't do that."

"Oh," the brunette girl cooed, leaning down so her breasts were pressed against Jennifer's back. She massaged the blonde's shoulders gently, bringing her lips down beside her ear. "Am I teasing you?"

Jennifer turned her head to look into those beautiful brown eyes so close to hers and she batted her lashes. "Massage me, will you?"

"Now who's bossy?" Emily laughed, kneading the already relaxed muscles of the woman below her. "So when we get back after this week, am I getting any special treatment?"

The blonde's brows furrowed as she let the younger girl continue to move her hands over her shoulders.

"You know, test scores, recommendations to higher classes if necessary, or maybe even presents," the brunette girl shrugged, offering up options for any way the older woman could treat her.

Jennifer laughed, lifting her head to look up to the teenager on her back. "Are you joking?"

Emily frowned. "Am I?"

The blond laughed, pausing before flipping over onto her back.

Emily's doe eyes almost popped out of her head as she tumbled off the chair, her laugh echoing around the pool as Jennifer lifted her back onto the chair with her. "What the hell?" she cackled, letting Jennifer cup her head of dark hair. "Why did you do that?"

Jennifer gave a mock glare. "Why did you ask for presents? We all have ulterior motives."

Laughing against the older woman's lips, Emily let Jennifer press the tiniest kisses to every inch of skin of her lips before a huge splash in the water behind them made them jump.

"Get a room!"

Emily's head whipped around, her dark eyes glaring to her brother and uncles laughing at her from the other side of the pool. "Non scopare con me! Fuori di qui!" _Don't fuck with me! Get out of here!_

Jennifer turned the dark haired girl's attention back to her by cupping her beautiful ivory cheek. "Back?"

"Back," she huffed, smiling up to the blue eyed woman. "Ready for your massage again?"

The blond batted her lashes. "Wanna massage my front?" she whispered, smally shaking her chest to give the younger girl a hint.

Emily pursed her lips, fighting the urge to laugh at the older woman. "Turn around."


	21. Chapter 21

Slamming the door behind her, the dirty blond with those powerful blue eyes stepped out into the hallway of the hotel she was staying at. She had decided to go on a run on the beach to try and take the stress away and unburden herself with the disgusting feeling that teacher who was taking her ex from her had given her.

And she had seen them on her run.

Jogging past the hotel for the third time, a laugh that had reached her ears echoed over all the beachgoers around her, and it forced her attention to the poolside.

Her eyes immediately became glued to the giggling couple sitting by themselves on a pool chair, men in their pristine suits standing by in case either of them were to want one of the thousands of champagne glasses that were held on those familiar serving trays.

Emily looked extremely happy, and Courtney felt her stomach roll.

Disgusting.

Courtney rolled her eyes at the memory, her wallet tight in her hand as she started down the hall. She had made a reservation for herself because she had no one here to do anything with, and she would die before having to have dinner with her ex, knowing that she wouldn't be caught dead without the new blond she had with her every moment of the day.

Hearing the familiar sound of her ex's throat clearing made her head pop up, and the blond gave a smile.

Emily was refilling her ice bucket, practically hiding in the little nook where the ice machine was plugged in. Her beautiful ebony hair was tightly tied up in a ponytail, her body covered in a tank top and those favorite grey sweat pants she always wore when she didn't have a function to attend.

Biting her lip, the privileged girl leaned herself against the wall. "Eh hem."

Emily's head shot up, her dark eyes immediately glued to the figure of her ex leaning against the wall near her hotel room door with her legs crossed at her ankles. She paused, licking her dry lips to try and calm herself before she nodded to the other girl. "Hey."

Courtney crossed her arms over her chest and grinned. "Bonjour mon animal de compagnie." _Hello my pet._

The brunette held herself back from flat out vomiting at the nickname. "Yeah," she sighed, putting the top back on her bucket before walking toward her room. "See you later."

Turning, Courtney stopped the closing door with her palm, her eyes slowly raking up her ex's body, taking in the silky smooth skin uncovered by the tank top she wore, and shook her head. "I've been meaning to talk to you."

Emily slowly shook her head. "I'm busy."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Your little girlfriend?"

She gulped, looking to her ex with those scared brown eyes she wore, her lips gently parted. "No," she softly denied, seeing the hurt behind those hard eyes of the older girl. "I'm supposed to meet her a little later for dinner, but I'm alone right now."

Courtney kept her evil smile spread over her face. "Taking an ice bath?"

Emily's eyes flickered down to the skin around her elbows, seeing the flaky red patches that had been spreading for the past day because of her eczema. "Yeah," the brunette nodded. "It's been kind of bad."

I'm sorry, the older girl thought, knowing how uncomfortable and insecure Emily got with her skin condition.

Seeing how quiet her ex had gotten, Emily tightened her hold on the ice bucket in her arms. "If you don't mind, I kind of have to go. Maybe we can talk later," the privileged girl hopefully suggested, wanting to get past whatever rut they were going through. Courtney had never been so vindictive, and Emily was sure she could go back to being the sweet girl the brunette knew she was.

"Hey," Courtney sighed, looking into those chocolate eyes she had fallen in love with. "I won't tell her."

Emily's brows furrowed, her jaw dropping slightly when she heard the words from the older girl's mouth. "Excuse me?"

The blonde's face softened, knowing what a hard time her ex had gone through when they had been together. No matter what, Emily would always be her first love. "I will never tell."

Emily slowly nodded her head, realization hitting her when Courtney's tears gently started to flow down her cheeks. "Thank you." She could hear her voice crack, and when Courtney ran her fingers over the ink written elegantly across her wrist, she could feel her tears fall as well.


	22. Chapter 22

"Ten minutes?"

Emily shortly nodded her head to the beautiful blond that had made her feel so special, her chest tightening at the guilt hitting her for telling the teacher where she had to go before they started their movie night.

She needed to talk to Courtney, but there was no way the teenager could tell her new friend that.

She said she needed to get some air.

"I'll be right back," she whispered, leaning in and pressing a kiss to the blonde's cheek. "Don't start that without me."

Jennifer shook her head. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Emily gave a small smiled before walking out the door, zipping up her sweatshirt and stuffing her hands in her pockets as she walked down the hotel hallway. Seeing that fear in her ex's eyes earlier that day, the ambassador's daughter knew that they needed to talk, have Courtney get those feelings off her chest about what had happened.

Feeling a vibration in her pocket, the eighteen year old took out her phone and read the message from the blond she had broken up with.

_Back by the pool._

Emily let her tongue swipe along her bottom lip before shoving her phone back into the pocket of her sweatpants. She hadn't actually spoken with the older girl in almost a year, having been tortured by what they had gone through and how hard their breakup had been, it was difficult for the two to be around each other without breaking out into tears or anger.

She turned by the edge of the steps where the hotel connected with the sand on the beach, looking over to the secluded pool she and Jennifer had been sitting by all day, seeing Courtney's face illuminated by the pool water beside her.

Her feet padded slowly along the concrete, her eyes glued to the still figure as she walked up beside her. "Hey."

Courtney looked up at the voice, seeing the shy girl standing just along the water's edge, and she nodded. "Hey," she sighed, moving so the brunette could sit beside her.

Emily bit her lip before walking around the older girl, sitting herself in the chair beside Courtney's instead of on hers with her.

"Ok," the older girl nodded, knowing that it must have taken the brunette all she had to even come out and sit with her. "Sorry if I'm pulling you away from something."

Emily kept her features cool. Courtney knew about her plans that night. "It's fine." Her dark eyes fluttered up from her lap and looked into those green eyes of the older girl, smiling to herself at how happy those always changing hazel eyes made her. "Do you really want to talk?"

The blond haired girl nodded. "I think we need to."

"I'm sorry," the privileged girl whispered, seeing the softened features of her ex that she hadn't seen in such a long time. "I know you were hurting."

Courtney blew out a breath, shaking her head at the soft words coming from the younger girl. "You were the one who was hurting, but seeing you like that?"

The brown eyed girl forced the tears in her eyes back, feeling that familiar sting in the corners. "It's not your fault."

"I couldn't stop it, Emily! Do you get how that made me feel?"

"How that made you feel?" Emily spit out, her face reddening from the anger she felt growing inside of her. "I was the one who was raped, Courtney! Not you!"

Courtney's eyes widened at the word. "I couldn't stop them!" she cried, begging her ex to understand what she had been bottling up inside. "I was supposed to protect you and I couldn't. Do you not get what that did to me?"

The brunette angrily shook her head, looking away from her ex and wiping a stray tear that had begun rolling down her cheek.

"I had to watch; I had to watch everything they did to you; I had to watch you cry through all of it, ok? I couldn't help but feel sorry not only for you, but for myself. Ok? I needed to protect you and I couldn't. I was pathetic," Courtney ground out, pain crossing over her face as she looked down to the fiddling hands in her lap. She couldn't look into those doe eyes of her ex. "More pathetic than those assholes who did that to you."

Emily let herself cry at pain she saw on her ex's face, her hands finally coming out of the pockets of her sweatshirt and reaching forward to take the older girl's hands. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't think about what it had done to you."

Courtney immediately started shaking her head. "You shouldn't have. You got raped and I'm the one complaining?"

"No," Emily sighed, forcing the blonde's eyes to look up to her. "I get it, ok? I get why you were trying so hard to get my attention after that, why you were so touchy and always trying to hold my hand."

The blonde's nostrils flared as she tried to look away from the younger girl. "I didn't mean to force you."

Hearing the crack of the strong girl's voice, Emily sniffled. "You wanted to give me your memory instead of having theirs," she whispered, her dark eyes widening in realization.

Courtney huffed. "It was stupid."

"No," the brunette rushed out, shaking her head. "Your approach wasn't the best, and I hated you for it, but I get it. I understand what you were trying to do."

"But it broke us up."

Emily's breathing began to even out, a sense of calmness taking over her at the sadness she saw in her ex's eyes. "It wasn't just the sex," the ambassador's daughter shrugged. "I think it was everything all messed up together."

The pair stared into each other's eyes, their foreheads resting against one another's to try and bring that sense of relief over them when a flash off to the side forced their attention away from each other.

"Hey! Prentiss-Hotchner! Vander! Smile for us!"

Emily's eyes bugged out of her head at the sight of the paparazzi swarming the beach owned by the hotel they were staying at. "How the hell did they know where to find us?"

"You can't be on this property! Hey!"

Letting the security come out and try to usher the flashing cameras away, both teens quickly covered their faces and ran around the side of the hotel, trying their best to avoid a photo that caught both of their faces.

Emily breathed out a small sigh as they ran inside the building, her heart pounding hard in their chest. The world thought they were still a couple, and that's exactly what would be said on the headlines of tomorrow's tabloid.


	23. Chapter 23

Emily raced up the hotel stairs and ran down to the room she was sharing with her new friend for the night, fumbling around to find the key card she had shoved into her sweatshirt pocket before she left. Having charged into the hotel to try and get away from the flashing cameras that had followed her and her ex, the privileged girl immediately remembered that the tiny piece of plastic fell from her pocket and bounced against the floor, and she didn't have the time to turn around and pick it back up.

Huffing out a desperate breath, the teenager knocked furiously on the door to get the blond on the other side to open it for her.

"Em?"

Emily spun at the voice, crying into her brother's chest the moment he took her into a hug. "They're everywhere," she sobbed, wrapping her arms tight around his waist. "Courtney said she wanted to talk and so I went down to talk to her and I thought we were finally getting somewhere," the privileged girl rambled, looking up to the older boy with sad eyes, "but they found us. How do they always find us?"

Aaron shushed his baby sister and hugged her to his chest, running his hand down the back of her neck and pressing a long kiss to her temple. "One of the hotel employees might have tipped them off," he offered as an explanation, looking over her shoulder to see Jennifer coming out of the hotel room.

The brunette sighed into his shirt, bringing her hands up to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "She wanted to talk and I tried to listen, and I think I finally get it, you know?"

"Em."

"I mean I still can't see myself with her," she interrupted, not noticing the look on her brother's face as she shook her head. "What if you had to watch what she did? What if you couldn't do anything when you were right there, you know? That ruined her."

"Emily," Aaron sighed, nodding to the woman behind her. "Don't."

Emily's eyes widened as she turned, feeling Aaron's hands rubbing down her shaking arms as she looked to the older woman. "Jennifer."

"Emily, are you ok?"

"Uh," she stuttered, her dark eyes wide as she tried to catch her breath again.

Aaron wiped back the stray strands of ebony hair from his sister's forehead and set his hands on her shoulders. "Maybe Em should stay with me tonight." He shared a look with the blond he knew his sister was falling for and hardened his gaze. "I think it would be better for her."

Emily looked to the woman standing in front of her with wide eyes. "I can still watch the movies," she shrugged. "I'm ok."

The blond looked between the siblings and itched at her chin. "Can I ask what happened?"

"I don't think it's any of your business."

Emily glared up to her older brother. "Aaron."

"What?" he asked, looking down to the brunette with his eyes matching hers. "What Em? This isn't a story you just go around telling people."

"Who I choose to tell is my business," she growled, yanking her arms from his grip and shaking off her nervousness. "I'll be there in a minute, ok? Just let me get my stuff."

Jennifer offered a hand to the younger girl once the brunette boy walked away, and she felt her heart ache in her chest when the saddened girl refused it and passed her by to walk into the hotel room. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked politely, closing the door behind her and setting her back against it as she watched the younger girl pack a bag.

Emily sniffled, running her sleeved arm under her nose as she shoved some clothes for the next morning into her bag, along with the blanket she had had since she was just two years old. "It's hard," the eighteen year old whispered, her voice cracking.

"You don't have to, but I'm here if you need me."

The brunette girl looked to her new friend and fought the tears trying to invade her dark brown eyes. "I-"

"Emily!"

"Emily Prentiss!"

"Come on Prentiss, we know you're up there! Give us a picture!"

Emily spun on her heel, Jennifer following closely after her to the open doors to the terrace just off of their room. She practically rammed into the railing, Jennifer holding her arms to make sure she didn't fly over the edge, both sets of eyes staring down to the flashing lights aimed up at their room.

"Oh God," she huffed, bringing her hand up to cover her gaping mouth when she heard the photographers beneath her asking who the 'hot new blond' was, before Jennifer dragged her back into the hotel room and slammed the door shut. "They won't leave me alone!"

The blond sat her friend down on the bed they would have been sharing and quickly brought her into her side, letting the teen rest her head on her shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. Take a deep breath, ok?"

Emily let out a cry, breathing in the beautiful woman's scent before lifting her head. "I was raped."

Jennifer's eyes popped out of her head. "Tonight?"

"No!" she quickly denied, sitting with her front fully facing the blue eyed woman. "It was almost two years ago," the brunette revealed, watching as Jennifer tried her best to calm her features. "Courtney and I were walking home from a date, and we had convinced our security guards to let us have some alone time." Emily took a moment to let herself breathe, her hands curling in the material of her sweatshirt. "These men stopped us when we passed by an alleyway and locked us in their van for the night."

Jennifer tried to force her anger back at the revelation, knowing the veins in her neck and forehead were popping out, her face turning a bright red. "Are you alright?"

The eighteen year old bit her lip. "I didn't get pregnant or anything."

"STDs? Did you tear?"

Emily did her best to shove back that uncomfortable feeling before she gave a slow shake of her head.

Jennifer watched the eyes of the young girl darken and the tears start to spill from her eyes, and she quickly scooted toward her and took her into a hug. "Baby," she whispered, letting Emily's arms wrap around her torso and her tears fall against the skin of her neck. "It's ok, I'm right here."

"Please don't hate me."

"This was not your fault," the blond whispered harshly, her hold tightening around the eighteen year old. "You were raped, you were not the rapist. You did nothing at all to tell them you wanted this, ok? Do you get that?"

Emily nodded her head ferociously into the blonde's neck, crying against her skin as the screams from out beyond their balcony echoed in her ears.


	24. Chapter 24

"Please," she whispered, her chest arching up into the blonde's who hovered above her. The brown eyed girl tangled her fingers in Jennifer's hair and quickly pulled her head down, smashing their lips together as she moved herself up the bed.

The pair had been hugging at the foot of the king sized bed they were supposed to be sharing for almost an hour, warranting Aaron to come back to the room and knock to make sure his little sister was ok.

The moment the eighteen year old looked up into the older woman's eyes, their lips didn't seem able to part.

Emily tilted her head back, letting Jennifer pepper kisses along her jawline as her body arched off the bed like a bow. "Jen," the brunette sighed, turning her head to capture the blonde's lips again. "Jennifer, kiss me."

The blue eyed blond leaned down and brushed her lips against the younger girl's, chuckling slightly when Emily immediately leaned up to try and kiss her. If this is what was going to help the beautiful girl get those evil thoughts out of her head, Jennifer was happy to help.

Emily forced the blonde's head toward hers, her teeth biting gently into her bottom lip. "Don't tease me."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

She kissed the teacher harder than she thought she could, her covered arms wrapping around Jennifer's neck to pull her body down against hers.

Jennifer tilted her head, cupping Emily's cheek with her free hand as the other lay underneath the eighteen year old. "You're so beautiful."

"You make me feel that way," the brown eyed girl whispered with a smile, tickling the back of her friend's neck with the tips of her fingers. "Promise to always do that?"

"As long as you'll let me."

Emily shared a small peck with her teacher before lying her head back against the pillow beneath her, staring up into those sky blue eyes of the older woman. "Do you think we're moving too fast?"

"Do you think that?" Jennifer countered, playing with the strands of Emily's dark hair they had taken out of the ponytail. "I wouldn't go any farther than you were comfortable with."

Fixing her gaze on the ceiling to take a moment to think, Emily gave a small shake of the head. Both of them knew they wouldn't be going to the furthest extent tonight, but how far they were actually willing to go was dependent on the eighteen year old and how she felt. "I just really like kissing you," she said truthfully, feeling almost embarrassed by the confession. "I'm nervous that we won't have this back at home."

Jennifer fought the frown wanting to tug at the corners of her mouth. "Didn't we already talk about this?"

"But I'm graduating soon," the eighteen year old whispered fearfully. "You won't be a teacher at the school forever, and then I'm going off to college. What are we supposed to do?"

The blond held back her sigh, brushing her thumb along the ambassador's daughter's cheek. "I think we should deal with that when the time comes."

"Em!" came a voice from the hotel hallway, a persistent pounding on the door annoying the pair so much that they sat up in the bed. "Emily, what the hell? Where are you?"

Jennifer pressed a small kiss to Emily's forehead before sitting up straight. "Hold on, she's coming."

"I wish I was cumming."

The blonde's jaw dropped as she looked down to the joking girl, pushing on her shoulder when she burst into laughter. "Not funny."

Emily giggled, getting up onto her knees and scooting toward the older woman. "I thought it was."

Jennifer let herself smile, feeling Emily's fingers rake through her blond hair and wipe the strands away from her face. "You should get going."

"I know," the privileged girl sighed, letting the older woman nuzzle against her neck before she threw her hair back up into a ponytail. "I'll see you tomorrow, I guess."

"Or maybe in two days?"

Emily looked up, her eyes catching those of the Spanish teacher. "What? Why?"

Jennifer gave the younger girl a reassuring smile, reaching for her hand. "Relax. All I was thinking was that you could take a day break from whatever this is and spend some time with your family."

The brunette frowned at the choice of words but chose to ignore it. She let Jennifer intertwine their fingers before she shook her head. "But I want to spend time with you."

"I want to spend time with you too, beautiful," the teacher grinned, leaning forward and cupping the brunette's cheek before she kissed it. "But I think you need some time to absorb everything. Ok?"

Emily bit thoughtfully into her bottom lip.

"Don't worry about me, if that's what's happening in that big brain of yours. I still have all the other bridesmaids to have fun with."

The brunette tried for a smile. "Not too much fun though, right?"

Jennifer laughed, getting off of the bed and grabbing the younger girl's bag for her. "Here you go. Now go with your brother and get some rest, ok?"

Emily pulled the blond closer to her and held her by her hips, leaning up and pressing a kiss to those plump lips of hers. "Can I at least come by for a morning kiss tomorrow?"

"How about I call you in the morning?"

The brunette gave a pout before nodding her head, letting Jennifer walk from the room and into her brother's waiting arms before making her way down the hall.

Watching the beautiful girl walk down the hall and disappear into another room, the substitute teacher didn't notice the figure pop up on her left.

"Ms. Jareau?"

Jennifer jumped, her hand slamming down against her heart as she looked to the young blond beside her. "Jesus!"

"I'm sorry," Courtney rushed out, her hands reaching forward to try and steady the older woman. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

The blue eyed woman gave a small frown, noticing the change in the teen's demeanor; the sadness lurking behind her eyes. "Is something wrong?"

Courtney wrung her hands in front of her. "Can I talk to you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah," she nodded, hoping the older blond would open the door for her. "I need to."


	25. Chapter 25

Stepping out of the room he had forced Emily to share with him the night before, Aaron rubbed his eyes, thanking the bellhop who had brought up the breakfast he had ordered for the two of them.

Emily had been extremely tired, sad that she wasn't able to sleep beside her new friend that night, but stayed up to cry to their dad on the phone, Aaron resting sleepily beside his sobbing sister the entire night with his fingers raking through her dark hair to try and calm her down.

Looking up from the cart, the ambassador's son watched his sister's ex walk out of a room a little bit down the hall, and Aaron rolled his eyes. Knowing the blond, she could have been sitting outside their door the entire night and ran down the hall once he opened the door. Courtney clung to his little sister harder than a monkey to a tree.

"Thanks again, Ms. Jareau."

Aaron's eyes darted back over to the pair of blondes walking into the hall, seeing the Spanish teacher's hand touch the other teenager's shoulder.

"It's fine," the older blond shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. "You should get back to your room."

Courtney slowly nodded her head before sulking away from the hotel room.

Jennifer shook her head, running a hand through her hand as she turned to go back into her suite when she caught the threatening eyes of her new friend's brother staring hard at her from down the hall.

"Morning," he grunted, making sure the older woman saw the hatred he was sure he was clearly sending her way.

Jennifer shakily nodded her head. "This isn't what it looks like."

Aaron quickly dragged the cart of food into the suite and slammed the double doors behind him, his anger boiling within him as he locked up the room.

"Aaron?" The brunette girl looked up from her pillow, rolling over to see her older brother walking toward her with the cart of food. "Hey, are you ok? What was all of that noise?"

"Couldn't get the door to close," he shrugged, laughing lightly as he sat down on the bed beside her. "Here you go."

Emily gave a small smile to the brunette beside her as she sat up. "Thanks, but I'm not that hungry."

Aaron let a brow raise, forcing his little sister to take the plate of eggs he had ordered for her. "You're gonna eat it and you're gonna like it, grandi occhi."

The eighteen year old stuck her tongue out. "I don't have to like it," she grumbled.

"Look, I know you'd rather be making out with your super hot new girlfriend, but it's one day apart. Is it really that hard?"

Emily looked to the older brunette with a pout, her doe eyes widening to give her that puppy dog look. "She's so perfect, though."

"One day."

The brown eyed girl sighed, nodding her head at the reminder.

Glancing to the cart that he had brought into the room, Aaron shook his head. "I think I forgot to order drinks. Give me a minute."

Making sure the younger brunette wasn't aware of him walking toward the door, Aaron stepped out into the hallway and quickly made his way over to the door just down the hall.

"Aaron," the older woman sighed, opening up the door to the impatient knocking. "I swear, it-"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Jennifer stared up to the brunette before her and let her eyes harden on the teenager. "Whatever happens in my life is in no way your business."

Aaron stepped closer to the teacher his sister was so infatuated with. "Your relationship with my baby sister is my fucking business, get it? You fucking around with her ex is my fucking business."

"That's not what happened!"

"Really?" he challenged, watching the older woman's eyes widen in fright from his tone. "Then you tell me why Courtney was leaving your room just now."

Jennifer's blue eyes flickered down to the small amount of space between her and the angry teenager, and she slowly shook her head. "She came to me last night right after you took Emily to your room. She said she wanted to talk to me."

"And you end up sleeping together?" the eighteen year old roared.

"No," Jennifer quickly denied, holding her hands up in front of her to try and distance herself from the younger boy. "She started crying after telling me what she and Emily had gone through, and I made her lay down to try and stop her from shaking. The next thing I knew, she was fast asleep." She could see Aaron's face burning a bright red from the anger that was surging through him, and the blond tried her best to calm him down. "I would never do that to your sister."

Aaron stepped forward and shoved his face in the older woman's. "Do you know what you would have done to her if she was the one to come out here this morning instead of me? It wouldn't have mattered if you two had done anything. Seeing you and Courtney coming out of a hotel room? Really?"

The teacher gave a nervous bite to her lip. "I get that, ok? I didn't mean for her to fall asleep, but what was I supposed to do?"

"Aaron?"

The arguing pair turned to see Emily standing meekly in the doorway of her brother's room, a small smile tugging at her lips when she saw her friend standing there with her older brother.

Aaron shook his head, sending a glare to the blond he stood before. "I'm coming, Em."

Jennifer gave a gentle wave to the young girl standing at the end of the hall, tears stinging her eyes as she watched Aaron push her lightly back into the room, and she slammed her own door and sulked back toward her bed.


	26. Chapter 26

"Will you get me the champagne please?"

Emily's Uncle Richard smirked to the pair beside him before standing from his pool chair. "Too early, grandi occhi."

The brunette's jaw dropped, her hand flying to her chest. "Przepraszam?" _Excuse me?_

Richard gave a small glare with his eyes that matched the teen's and took a cigarette from his custom made holder. " Oglądasz sass tam, wielkie oczy i będę upewnić się, aby porozmawiać z matką później." _You watch the sass there, grandi occhi or I'll make sure to talk to your mother later._

"Co? Więc teraz jesteś niektóre duże plotkarz ?" Emily asked, taking off her sunglasses and gesturing to the cigarette he was lighting. "Czy matka pod wrażeniem tego papierosa masz w ustach teraz?" _So what? Now you're some big tattletale? Would mother be impressed with that cigarette you have in your mouth right now?_

The older man rolled his eyes before shoving the cigarette back into the carton and walking away to get himself a drink.

Emily's cousin Andrew watched as the younger brunette lean back in her chair, slipping those designer shades back onto her face and pouring herself a drink. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

He let out a puff of smoke, flicking the ash off of his cigarette as he sat up in his beach chair. "You're talking to Uncle Richard like he's one of your high school friends. What's gotten into you today?"

Emily turned her head at the sound of yelling behind her, and she and her cousin watched as the guards on the beach tried to fight off the paparazzi. "Nothing," she shrugged, turning back around and laying in the chair that had been set in the sand for her. "He knows smoking is bad for him and so should you."

The older boy rolled his eyes, blowing the smoke from his cigarette into Emily's face. "Vaffanculo." _Fuck off_.

"What the hell?" she coughed, slipping the shades from her face as she felt herself choking on the smoke that had gotten caught in her lungs. "Get cancer all you want but don't spread it to me."

"Questo sulla tua ragazza, grandi occhi?" _This about your girlfriend, big eyes?_

Emily looked to her cousin with her dark eyes and slowly sunk back into her chair, sipping at the champagne she had poured for herself. "She's not my girlfriend."

The older boy shrugged, seeing his father walk back up from the bar with a new drink in his hand. "But you wish she was."

"It's just one day apart," the brunette tried to shrug off, laughing as if the separation from the beautiful blond wasn't killing her inside. "And I'll see her all the time back home. It's not like we'll never be together, you know? It's just moving a little quickly."

Andrew sat up in his chair, pressing his cigarette out in the sand. "Too fast for you? Did you tell her that?"

The brunette girl frowned, giving a quick shake of the head as she downed the rest of her drink. "That's what this day is about," she forced out, holding a hand to her chest when she felt a burp get caught. "We're doing things with other people, me with you guys and Jennifer with the other bridesmaids."

Richard sat himself down in the sand, smirking as he glanced up at the sun that was burning down on all of them. "Do you know where she is right now? What she's doing?"

Emily gulped. "Maybe."

"Emily," her cousin laughed, slapping the privileged girl's arm when he saw the embarrassed blush creep onto her cheeks. "What the hell, it's like you guys have already been dating for a full year or some shit."

The brunette huffed. "We just really like each other."

Andrew waited until the younger girl looked his way before opening his mouth again, making sure his cousin would listen. "Emmybear, we know that you like her, but are you sure you should be getting into another relationship so soon after the incident?"

"I already spoke about it with her," Emily confided with a smile. "I feel safe with her. I feel like I can talk to her and with her more than I could with Courtney, even before what happened."

"You think you can be with her? Be together as an actual couple?"

Andrew nodded in agreement with his father. "She's your teacher, Em."

"Daddy's ok with it, and it's not like we'll go around telling people. She's only at my school until my Spanish teacher comes back from maternity leave, and right after that I'm heading to college. We're planning to work it out." Emily shrugged, sitting back and glancing out to the blue ocean where she knew the bridesmaids were all having their day. "Aaron still seems kind of on the edge about it, but he sees that I'm happy."

Andrew listened to the younger girl, knowing what Aaron had told him about the scenario that played out earlier that morning. "He'll get on your side if you like her that much."

Emily smiled, giving a delicate wave to the blond who looked up to her from the crystal waters. "I hope so."


	27. Chapter 27

"Why aren't you with your girlfriend?"

Emily looked up, giving her ex a small shrug as they moved along with the hostess of the restaurant so they could be seated at their table. The Hotchner-Prentiss family had asked the young girl if she would accompany them to dinner, knowing that Courtney had no one else to spend time with for the rest of their vacation. "She's not feeling well."

Courtney nodded her head in acknowledgement and thanked Emily's cousin when he pulled out his chair for her. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," the brunette nodded thankfully. "I'm heading up to her room later to see if she needs anything. She hasn't been able to keep down any food today."

"So how are you two? Are you actually dating?"

Aaron watched the interaction from across the dinner table, not noticing the rest of his family watching him from the sidelines. Everyone knew that the eldest Hotchner-Prentiss child wasn't one hundred percent sold on the relationship, but none of them knew exactly why.

Quietly taking a small sip of his water, the eldest of the Hotchner-Prentiss children sat watching how his sister spoke with her ex, making sure to be ready for anything that would set her off.

Emily flipped her hair over her shoulder. "She's not my girlfriend."

The blond beside the ambassador's daughter watched as the beautiful girl asked for a soda, and she played with the fork that was set beside her plate. "Can you even date a teacher?"

"I can if no one tattles," the brown eyed girl tried to smile, looking to Courtney with a small glare that told her not to even think about ratting on her and the beautiful blond.

Courtney gave a tight smile before looking down to the appetizer that had been set before her.

Gulping down his water, Aaron looked to the pair that sat across from him. "So Courtney, how did you sleep last night?" he asked, casually eying the blond who had caused his baby sister so much pain. "You know, after the fiasco last night with the paparazzi and everything. It must have been pretty hard to get yourself calmed down, you know?"

Courtney gently nodded her head. "I slept fine, thank you."

"Really? I thought I heard you this morning," the eldest of the Hotchner-Prentiss children smirked. "I could have sworn I heard your voice, but your room isn't near ours, is it?"

Emily licked her bottom lip to clear it of her salad's dressing as she looked between the two. "What's going on?"

"And didn't I see you this morning?" he asked, his eyes hardening on the blond sitting right across from him. "I'm sure it was you who I saw walking away when I went out to get breakfast."

Courtney felt herself gulp, quickly chasing down the fear choking her throat with the soda that had been brought to her. "I didn't sleep that well last night, I was just wandering the halls."

"Wandering around Ms. Jareau's bedroom?"

Emily's jaw dropped, her eyes darting between her angered brother and the girl she had fallen in love with whose heart seemed to have stopped. "You were Jennifer's room?" she whispered hurtfully, watching with wide eyes as her ex's head spun to look at her. How could she do something like that? "Why would you be in her room?"

Courtney immediately shook her head. "Nothing happened."

"Then why were you in her room?"

"It's not like he's making it seem," Emily's ex pressed, trying her best to get the girl she was in love with to try and listen and trust her word. "I would never do that to you, Em. I wouldn't sleep with her."

Emily's eyes darkened on the blond beside her. "Why were you in there?"

Courtney met the angry eyes of the privileged girl and slowly shook her head. "I went to talk to her. I assumed that you had told her about what happened and I thought it would be good if she had heard both sides of the story, you know?"

"Both sides of the story are exactly the same," Emily breathed. "What the fuck? Why would you talk to her?"

"I'm sorry! I spoke to her and I was really upset, and she let me lay down to try and relax but before I knew it, it was morning and I was in her bed."

Emily glared hard at the older girl. "You were in her bed?"

The rich girl quickly brushed the tears from her eyes and shook her head. "Emily please believe me, we didn't sleep together. _Nothing_ happened."

Emily's jaw locked as she ground her teeth, and she shoved her chair back and grabbed her purse. "Excuse me," she growled, spinning on her heel and storming out of the restaurant with Courtney calling to her from the table.


	28. Chapter 28

Jennifer tried her best to tame the buzzing in her ears and covered her head with the comforter of the bed she laid on. She had gone way too hard the day before, partially upset with not being able to be with the brunette girl, but partially because she had nothing in common with the other bridesmaids that she had been hanging out with, and drinking all the shots and mojitos they had brought her on the beach seemed like the perfect idea.

Fighting off the belch that wanted to escape her chest, the blond rolled onto her stomach and listened to the distant sounds of the television playing in the background. She wasn't going to be able to see the brown eyed beauty until later, and even then she wasn't sure she would be able to even put on a smile for the younger girl because of the summersaults her stomach had decided to do today.

"Jen?"

The blue eyed woman slowly turned her head and peeked out from under the covers, seeing Emily dressed to the nines and slipping off her heels as she walked through the door. "Hey."

Emily smiled gently to the sick woman underneath the covers and set her purse on the end table. "How are you feeling?" she whispered, knowing the older woman had been feeling like crap all day. The teenager gently sat beside the body underneath the covers and let her hand rub along her back. "Did you eat anything?"

"I had those crackers you got me," the blond coughed, feeling the acid from her stomach settling in the bottom of her throat. "Thank you for those."

"Of course, Jennifer."

Jennifer let her entire head come out from underneath the blanket so Emily could run her fingers through her greasy hair, the blue eyed woman not having enough energy to get up and get herself in the shower that day. "Thank you," she almost purred, the tingles from her head running through her body.

The brunette licked her lips, crossing her legs on the bed and leaning back against the headboard. "Do you feel any better at all?"

"Not really."

Emily bit her lip. "I'm sorry you feel so bad."

Jennifer gave a small shrug, nestling up to the younger girl and resting her head on her hip through the sparkling dress. "So why did you come up? I thought you were getting dinner."

"We had it."

The blond frowned, noticing the clock on the end table saying that it was just past eight. "But you went down only a half an hour ago."

Emily gave a shrug, letting her fingers continue to stroke the blond hair of her teacher. "There was a small disagreement and I thought it would be better to get out of there instead of just sit and listen to it."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Why was there an argument?"

The eighteen year old held in her sigh, not wanting to upset the sick woman with her complaints. "Aaron got upset with Courtney."

Jennifer's eyes popped open, her fingers clenching the comforter that covered her as her heart thumped loudly in her chest. "What about?" she almost whispered, afraid for the answer.

"He was really upset that he saw Courtney coming out of your room this morning," the brunette girl shrugged, her voice soft and unaccusing. She wouldn't work herself up and get mad at the blond if she really didn't do anything. "He said he went out to get the breakfast for us and saw you two coming out of your hotel room."

Jennifer fought the nausea that had been sickening her all day and sat up in her bed. "Emily, she didn't spend the night with me."

Emily gave a gentle purse of her lips. "She told me she did. She fell asleep in your bed and you let her stay there." Emily slowly turned her head, nodding the blond beside her. "That was really nice of you."

"Emily, I didn't do anything with her. Ok? You don't think I would, do you?"

The brown eyed girl looked into the older woman's eyes and slowly shook her head. "I was very upset," she answered truthfully, taking the blonde's hand in hers and intertwining their fingers. "I don't think you would do that to me, and I don't think she'd do that either. She may have been upset with me for a while and vice versa, but I think we've moved past that."

Jennifer watched as the brunette girl tried her best to give her a smile. "You're not mad?"

"You didn't do anything. I don't really have a choice to be mad." Emily leaned her head back against the headboard, staring at the television across from them. "Aaron was in the wrong for telling me the way he did, but I get why he assumed what he did. I would have done the same thing."

"But you're not mad?"

Emily tilted the older woman's head up and pressed a kiss to her lips.

Jennifer smiled gently "I taste like throw up, don't I?"

"Not at all," the teen whispered, getting herself under the covers and cuddling the blond from behind once she was turned on her side. "You ready for bed?"

"If you are," Jennifer smiled into her pillow, letting Emily wrap her arms around her waist and spoon her to sleep.


	29. Chapter 29

Aaron looked up from the messages he was sending to his cousin on his computer and watched as his little sister walked through the door, the sunlight that was streaming through his suite's windows hitting her tanning skin that barely hid underneath her cover-up. "Where'd you go last night?"

The brunette bit her lip, her beach bag dangling from her fingertips as she hovered in the doorway. "I slept with Jen."

Aaron's eyes shot open, his body immediately shooting up from his seat. He saw the slight blush creeping up his sister's cheeks and stormed over to her. "Emily!"

"I'm totally kidding," the eighteen year old smirked, seeing the shock written all over her brother's features, "but you should see your face."

"Why would you do that? What the hell?"

Emily shrugged, dropping her bag and walking out to the balcony that overlooked the ocean. "Thought I'd get some payback for what you did last night. I really didn't appreciate you telling me about yesterday morning in front of everyone, and I doubt Courtney did either." She let her hands drag over the burning railing of the balcony and looked upon the water. "I think you owe us both an apology."

The older Hotchner-Prentiss child frowned, following his sister out onto the balcony and sitting himself on a chair. "You deserved to know what possibly happened between them."

"And I spoke to Jennifer," the privileged girl nodded, her back turned to the older boy. "Nothing happened."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "And you believed her?"

Emily kept herself calm as she turned herself around, leaning back against the railing and letting the sun beat down on her. "Why are you so ready to make me hate her? You know how much I'm falling for her and you act as if she's Satan."

"I'm protecting you."

"Are you?" the brunette questioned lightly, keeping herself calm as to not get herself mad or worked up from the topic. "You brought up a pretty heavy topic over dinner with the rest of our family there. Why didn't you just tell me the moment it happened? Or at least in private, where no one was around to see me be absolutely embarrassed."

Aaron put his head in his hands, running his fingers roughly through the ends of his hair. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to call her out on it, is that a bad thing?"

"Do you know how much you embarrassed me? Do you know how many texts I've gotten from our cousins asking if I'm ok?"

"I'm sorry," he insisted, standing up from the chair. "I saw her coming out of Ms. Jareau's room, what did you want me to think?"

Emily gave a small shake of the head. "I would have thought the same exact thing if I saw them, all I'm saying is that you could have told me alone and then tried to get her to explain later."

The elder of the brunettes nodded. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," she smiled, letting her brother take her into his arms and hug. "Just don't do it again or I'm throwing you off the balcony." The brown eyed girl leaned back and looked up to the older boy before her. "And Jen told me what you did to her too."

Aaron rolled his eyes, letting his arms unwrap themselves from his sister's shoulders. "God, I am not coming off good in any of these stories."

Emily let herself laugh at the look on the older boy's face and threw her hands up, feeling the back of her neck start to burn from the sun's rays imbedding their heat into her skin. "You can blame yourself on that one."

"She mad?"

"Didn't you hear me?" the brunette questioned, shrugging her tanning shoulders. "I helped her get over it," the eighteen year old winked.

Aaron glared hard at his baby sister. "Grandi occhi," he warned, his voice deepening just as his father's would when he was about to give them a lecture. "Not funny."

"Imagine how good she'd be," Emily winked.

"Emily!"

The younger brunette laughed heartily at the look of disgust on her brother's face and walked back into the suite, picking up her beach bag from the floor. "Well Jennifer's feeling better and promised me a day on the boardwalk a mile down. You wanna come?"

Aaron grimaced. "And watch you two digest each other's tongues all day? No thanks."

"Well if you change your mind," she winked, opening up the hotel door and leaning against it. "Thank you though, Aaron. I know what you were trying to do." Emily bit her lip and nodded to the older boy. "I love you."

"Yeah, you better."

Emily shared a smile with her brother before making her way down to the front of the hotel, seeing the beautiful blond she had loved spending so much time with pull up in a Mustang. "What is this?" she gasped, walking slowly up to the car and running her fingers along the shining paint.

Jennifer gave the brunette a smirk, reaching over the console and opening the door for her. "Change of plans. You want to ride along the coast with me?"


	30. Chapter 30

Emily laughed as her hair flew behind her, her dark doe eyes looking over to the blond in the driver's seat whose eyes were shielded by her brand new sunglasses. "What's with the change of plans?" she questioned, her voice louder than normal so Jennifer could hear her over the wind and radio.

"Well we won't have a lot of time back home to spend together," the blue eyed woman shrugged. "I think we should get as much time together now before we go back. And how am I supposed to be the man in the relationship if I'm not the one who plans the first date?"

The brunette's teeth raked over her bottom lip as she looked to the older woman. "If there were a man in this relationship, it wouldn't be one I was interested in."

Jennifer chanced a look at the young brunette to see her smirk, and she gave a laugh, making sure her hands were tight on the wheel. "Touché, grandi occhi."

Emily felt her heartbeat picked up as they swayed a little on the street, her dark eyes glancing over to the sparkling water they were coasting by as she smiled to herself. No one but her family called her that name, but hearing the Italian on the blonde's lips made her shiver in a way she didn't know could happen.

"Hey," came the older woman's voice. "What happened to you?"

The eighteen year old looked back to her date and gave a smile, her shoulders lifting as her arms grew cold from the wind. "Just thinking."

Jennifer smiled to her, lifting her sunglasses and setting them atop her head. "Good things, I hope."

"Well they're about you," Emily giggled, leaning over the console and pressing a kiss to the blonde's cheek. "No bad thoughts to be had."

Jennifer's lashes fluttered against her cheek as she stole a kiss from the brunette, letting the teenager lay her head on her shoulder as they continued to drive. She was proud she had gotten the brunette girl to come out with her without a question, and completely surprised the ambassador's daughter hadn't even peeked into the backseat to see the picnic basket she hadn't even tried to hide.

Emily kicked a small mountain of sand as she jumped out of the car, letting the older woman lead her over toward the waves with the picnic basket in her hand. "This is gonna be so much fun," she practically cheered, skipping along the sand as she stayed right beside the blond. "What made you think of this?"

"You told me how much you love the ocean."

The eighteen year old bit her lip to try and hide her giant smile, her hands fiddling before her stomach as she waited for the older woman to set up the blanket she had brought with them. "Jen?"

Jennifer looked up, her hand going up to shield her eyes from the sun. "What's up?"

Emily got herself seated on the blanket, patting the spot beside her until her date sat herself down. "Thank you," she grinned, cupping both of Jennifer's cheeks and bringing her into a long kiss.

The blond tilted her head as Emily's tongue commanded her own, her moans echoing within the eighteen year old's mouth before she forced herself to pull away. "Thank you?" she questioned, her voice breathy as her heartbeat sped up.

"You're making our time together really special," the ambassador's daughter nodded, putting one of the blonde's stray strands behind her ear. "Thank _you_."

"You can thank me all you want if you do it like that."

Emily laughed loudly against the older woman's lips as she was lain against the blanket, a mound of sand sitting directly under her lower back. "Whoa, painful!"

Jennifer smiled, letting the younger girl sit up and press a kiss to her cheek. "Do you want some food?"

Watching as the blue eyed woman took out the snacks she had packed earlier, Emily let her fingers play along the blonde's leg, her mind completely blank as she finally felt herself relax for one of the first times in her life.

Six hours later, the pair laid together on the hood of the Mustang, their eyes staring straight up to the starry sky that couldn't be seen from their hotel.

Emily's hand clutched tightly to the older woman's as they looked up to the stars, and she leaned her head over onto the blonde's shoulder and let her lips press against her soft skin. "Thank you for taking me here."

"Thank you for playing with me in the ocean."

The brunette held her hand over her mouth and laughed at the memory. The couple had spent at least two hours in the ocean, kissing until a wave would knock them down, and then they'd immediately get back up and lock their lips again.

"You really made my day," Emily whispered, staring deeply into the blonde's eyes when she turned her head to look at her. "I don't think you know how much this all means to me; how much you mean to me.

Jennifer gave a gentle peck to the eighteen year old's lips before brushing the hair from her face. "I just wanted you to enjoy at least one day you have here."

Emily let her fingers play with the older woman's, a smile crossing her features as the blond climbed on top of her. "Are you gonna kiss me?" the teen asked saucily, her head tilting to the side as she let her fingers skim the bare thighs of the teacher.

"Can I kiss you wherever I want?"

Letting the blond nip at her bottom lip, Emily arched her neck, her eyes never disconnecting from Jennifer's. "Yes."


	31. Chapter 31

Emily's fingers dangled from the blonde's, the couple making their way back to the hotel from the parking lot. Jennifer had made the night absolutely beautiful, showering the eighteen year old with kisses on every inch of her skin, Emily feeling the older woman's love pouring all over her as the spent an hour on the hood of the car. Jennifer hadn't gone farther than the brunette wanted her to, but she had given the teacher a sneak preview of what she would be able to have one of these days, and Jennifer made the best of it.

Emily blushed at the memory of the older woman's tongue tickling the skin of her chest after she had shed her dress and bikini top. Emily had never felt more loved-even worshipped- than in that moment, and she was excited to know how far they could be going in the near future.

The brunette girl felt herself grow hot at the thought of how far she would have been willing to let Jennifer go that night, but she knew she wasn't quiet ready for that yet.

"Where'd you go?"

Emily looked over to the older woman and gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry," she chuckled, shaking her head when the older woman arched a brow at her. "I was just thinking."

Jennifer's face held a triumphant grin at the confession, her hand tightening around the teenager's as they ambled on toward the hotel entrance. "That good, huh?"

The ambassador's daughter burst out into laughter, her body falling into her teacher's and her eyes crinkling shut. "Yeah," she nodded, sharing a smile and a small kiss with the older woman by her side. "Pretty good."

"I'm surprised you let me go so far," the blond whispered, astonished at how much the eighteen year old already trusted her. "Thank you."

Emily gnawed at her bottom lip, her free hand coming up to caress Jennifer's arm. "Thank _you_. You made me feel comfortable. I wouldn't do that with just anybody," the eighteen year old whispered, smiling in spite of the heat rushing to her cheeks.

"Pumpkin?"

The chocolate eyed girl looked up at the familiar voice, a smile blossoming over her face at the sight of her father walking out the entrance of the hotel. "Daddy!"

Jennifer smiled, watching the brunette girl run into her father's arms, letting the ambassador swing her around as his wife came into view beside him. "Ambassador Prentiss," the blond nodded, holding her hand out to the older woman. "Nice to see you again."

Elizabeth kept her smile tight, letting the Spanish teacher gently shake her hand before she folded hers before her stomach. "Ms. Jareau," she nodded.

The substitute teacher let her hands fold and clasp together, remembering the incident back at the family dinner she had been invited to before Margot's wedding, and she had maybe crossed a line the ambassador had by talking to her the way she had for treating Emily poorly.

"Well how are you, Ms. Jareau?"

"Fine," she smiled, her eyes darting over to the brunette girl being put back onto the floor before nodding to the older woman. "May I ask what you two are doing back so soon?"

The Ambassador let her daughter press a gentle kiss to her cheek, and she watched the eighteen year old walk back over to the Spanish teacher's side and take her hand in hers. "Our last four meetings were canceled." Seeing her daughter's frown, Elizabeth slowly nodded her head. "Bomb threat."

Emily's eyes widened. "Again?"

"We're fine, grandi occhi," her father stated, his voice grumbled as he stepped up beside his wife. "But your mother insisted we come back to spend the last vacation days with you before heading back home."

The eighteen year old's hand tightened around Jennifer's, her chocolate orbs flickering from one parent to the other at the knowledge that this plan was her mother's and not her father's. "Really?"

Elizabeth smiled kindly to the couple standing before her. "I'd like to get to know your girlfriend a little, if that's alright."

"I don't know if it is."

Jennifer elbowed the younger girl beside her, the soft spoken words not even changing the smile on Emily's mother's face. "Emily," she hissed, her eyes hardening.

Emily shrugged, looking to her parents as the Spanish teacher intertwined their fingers. "I'm sorry," the eighteen year old apologized, nodding to the older pair before her. "That'd be nice."

"Breakfast tomorrow," Elizabeth decided, leaving her daughter and her date standing outside the hotel as she led her husband up to their room.


	32. Chapter 32

Emily fixed the hem of her skirt, her eyes roaming over her figure in the mirror to make sure every hair was in place. She had been up for three hours already, not being able to sleep with the weight of that morning on her shoulders. So many questions had been zooming through her mind as she tossed and turned - would they like her? would they try and talk them out of a relationship? would they get her fired? - before she finally got herself up and into the shower.

"How's this?"

The brunette turned at the voice, her eyes running up and down the older woman's beautiful frame before shaking her head. "Too short. Change."

Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Emily, this is my third outfit."

"You know what they say," she shrugged, turning back to the mirror and applying her lipstick. "Fourth time's the charm."

Jennifer felt herself frown at the eighteen year old's words. "I don't think anyone says that."

Emily looked over her shoulder and gave the teacher a pleading look. "Please, Jen?"

The blond gave a pout, walking up behind the younger girl and placing her hands on her hips. "Will you please calm down?" Jennifer whispered, looking into those brown eyes in the mirror as she set her cheek against the teen's. "Your dad is ok with us, we know that."

"My dad is not my mom," the ambassador's daughter breathed, shaking her head. "They are two completely different people. If my father thinks something is ok, my mother will think the opposite. There is no similarity between the two other than the fact they gave birth to me."

Jennifer watched as the wide eyed girl brushed her curls back before putting it up and out of her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around her waist. "Everything's going to be ok," she whispered, pressing a kiss to Emily's cheek. "If they don't approve, will that change how you feel?"

Emily spun around. "Absolutely not," she stated firmly, looking into her teacher's blue eyes. "I promise it won't. I just want them to like you, ok? If they don't then they don't, but I'd rather they do, you know?"

"My parents weren't ok with my sexuality," the blue eyed woman admitted, playing with the curls that Emily hadn't put up and playfully placed them around her shoulders. "They kicked me out of the house and I stayed with my uncle before I went off to college. But your parents already know about you, and they haven't said anything bad about it before, have they?"

The eighteen year old's eyes softened slightly as she thought back. "They've been really supportive."

Jennifer smiled at the dazed look the brunette had in her eyes and nodded her head. "Then there you go. She's probably going to question me on my intentions with you, and other minor things like that. Don't be so worried."

Emily's eyes snapped back to the older woman's, her jaw dropping as Jennifer's hands rubbed down her bare arms. "More like grill you. Do you know how intense she is?"

"I've witnessed a couple occasions," Jennifer chuckled, pecking the brown eyed girl's lips. "But I'll be right beside you, ok? You don't have to worry."

The brunette shrugged her shoulders in the cutest way that made Jennifer want to huddle her up in her arms and never let go. "If I get scared, will you hold me?" she whimpered with a smirk, laughing when the older woman took her into her arms.

Letting Jennifer kiss her hair, the eighteen year old pulled away. "You still need to change."

"I know," she drawled, spinning on her heel and walking to the bed to pick out one of the dresses she had taken from her closet. "What about this one?"

Emily shook her head, ignoring the glare the blond was giving her. "Too flashy?"

The blond took a second glance at the dress. "How, exactly?"

"It's orange."

Jennifer gave the eighteen year old a blank stare.

Emily rolled her eyes, holding in her laughter at the look her date was giving her. "Orange is not black or white, ergo flashy."

"That doesn't make sense."

"It would if you were a diplomat's daughter," she sighed. "Please change!"

Jennifer gave a shrug before turning her back, unzipping the zipper in the back of her dress and letting it fall around her ankles.

Emily bit her lip, watching the woman in her lace underwear bend over the foot of the bed to get her newest dress. "We'll be late if we stay," she reminded herself under her breath, turning away from the teasing woman's swaying backside. "We'll be late if we stay."

They were down in the hotel's nicest restaurant a half an hour later, Emily leading the blond with their hands clasped between them. "Hi daddy," the teenager smiled, letting both of her parents kiss her cheeks. "Mother," she nodded.

Jennifer shook both of their hands, giving her brighter smile to the mother of the beautiful brunette. "Good morning, ambassadors."

"Good morning Ms. Jareau," Elizabeth Prentiss nodded, sitting herself down across from the couple. "How was your night, ladies?"

"Jennifer walked me to my room before I took an ice bath," the eighteen year old grinned, sharing a flirtatious smile with the blond by her side.

Charles kept his smile pointed toward the couple across from him and his wife as he leaned in to the brunette beside him. "Is that supposed to be romantic?" he asked.

"I believe so," the mother of two smiled. "So, what do you want to have?"

Emily bit into her bottom lip and set her hands on the table. "Mother, can we just get to the part where you start asking her questions and making me feel uncomfortable with stories about me as a baby because if we don't and we just sit here waiting and expecting it but never actually getting to that point then I'm going to get hives."

The Ambassador watched as her daughter took in a breath after spilling her guts, and she sent the blond across from her a smile. "So Ms. Jareau, has Emily told you about how she used to walk around the house with her father's suit on and act like she was her grandfather? She'd steal a glass from the kitchen and act as if she were my father, walking around and speaking in a voice just like him, giving out orders to all the staff."

Seeing the smile her mother was sending her way, Emily rubbed her fingers across the wrinkles on her forehead. "Ok you know what, nevermind. Let's just get our food."

"But Em, I'd love to hear more," Jennifer smiled, starting a conversation with the older woman as the eighteen year old beside her wilted like a flower.


	33. Chapter 33

Emily shook her head at the questions that were being thrown her way, her hands covering up her ears as her brother leaned into her. "No Aaron, stop it!" she laughed, nudging him away with her elbow. "Stop it, you're embarrassing me."

"That's kind of the point," he laughed, sharing a wink with his father as they walked down the boardwalk. "You wanted your girlfriend to be here, and this is what you get."

"Mom invited her, I didn't!"

The family had asked the blond out to dinner with them once their brunch had finished, her parents having loved talking to the Spanish teacher and wanting to delve deeper into her life and what she expected in her relationship with their Emily.

Jennifer chuckled, boldly taking Emily's hand and pulling her to her side. "I think it's cute," she whispered evilly, stroking the back of her hand with the pad of her thumb. "Little Emily running around naked covered with paint? That's adorable."

"I wasn't even 'little'," the eighteen year old snorted, shaking her head as her parents began to lag behind them. "I was seven, and I I was basically drunk off the medicine they had given me."

"So your parents got you drunk? That's what you're saying?" Jennifer asked, batting her lashes at the younger girl. "You're blaming your poor parents?"

Emily's jaw dropped, shoving the blond away with her hand. "Oh my God, I hate you," she laughed.

Elizabeth let the couple walk ahead of them for a while before she found herself walking beside the blond. "May I speak with you, Jennifer?"

The Spanish teacher blinked, her face blank at the name the older woman had called her. "Yeah," she nodded shakily, letting the eighteen year old's hand go before walking to the side of the boardwalk with the powerful mother of two. "How did you enjoy dinner, ma'am?"

"Ambassador is a fine name," she nodded shortly. "It was fine, thank you."

Jennifer gulped, nodding along with the brunette before her. "Thank you so much for today, Ambassador Prentiss. I had an amazing time getting to know you all, and I hope you've had the same experience with me."

Elizabeth let herself smile gently to the younger woman. "My daughter is breakable, Jennifer. Whether you know it or not, she's not as strong as she thinks she is." Her head tilted, analyzing every micro movement her daughter's crush made. "She's been through too much in such a short amount of time, and don't you think I'll be standing aside and watching you fool around with her. If my daughter is in one ounce of pain at any time, I can have you taken out of her life and even out of the country. Are we clear?"

The blue eyed woman licked her lips. "Of course, ambassador. I would never want to hurt her, I promise you."

"My daughter holds everything in, and when she's hurting I can very well see it. I may not have the best relationship with my daughter," Elizabeth admitted, "but I love her with all my heart, and if hers is broken, I will make sure to break you."

"Yes ambassador," Jennifer tried to smile. "I understand completely." Her eyes connected with those of the brunette she had been seeing who stood over by the edge of the boardwalk, a nervous smile flashing over toward her by the eighteen year old to try and comfort her the best she could.

Elizabeth leaned closer to the blond to get her attention back on her, and she nodded. "There will be no sexual anything between you two unless she is alright with it, do you hear me? She is of age, but you are her teacher and if she is forced into anything, I will have you fired. You will no longer to work in any school nor will you be able to show your face back at home. Understood?"

The teacher gave a timid smile, shaking the hand that was given to her. "Understood."

"I can see your feelings for her," the mother of two smiled, hearing her daughter's laughter from behind her. "It's clear in your eyes."

Jennifer felt herself blush, and she bit into her lip. "I care for her very much."

"And she cares for you. Make sure she knows your intentions," Elizabeth nodded. "She is fragile, but she can put up a hell of a fight. Just ask her brother."

"I don't want to hurt her," the blond tried to assure the older woman, her eyes wide.

Elizabeth slowly nodded her head, readying herself to turn back to walk with her family. "So don't."


	34. Chapter 34

Emily let the older woman play with her fingers, their backs both resting against the seats in the car as they got ready for the bell just a few yards away to ring, signaling their first day back to the normal world.

"I'm going to miss you."

The brunette smiled sadly to the beautiful blue eyed blond in the driver's seat, letting her clasp her hand tight in hers and press a kiss to her knuckles. "It's not like we won't be together," she chuckled, gnawing into her bottom lip. "We already have a date planned for Saturday."

Jennifer gently nodded her head, looking into those chocolate eyes that had captivated her the moment hers connected with them. "We just have to be professional," she nodded.

Emily grinned, leaning into the older woman and batting her lashes. "Of course, Ms. Jareau," she purred, flickering her eyes down to those pink lips of the blond. "Anything you say."

The Spanish teacher laughed hard at the younger girl's gleaming eyes, and she quickly leaned in and shared a kiss with the brunette.

"So you like me, huh?"

Jennifer smiled that tiny smile that she had picked up from the younger girl, and gave the brunette a peck to her lips. "A little bit."

Emily's jaw dropped slightly. "I would hope so," she breathed, laughing lightly at the blue eyed woman's smile. "I am your girlfriend now."

"That you are," the blond nodded along with the younger girl's words, her thumb dragging dully along the ambassador's daughter's smooth skin. The day before was the day they got home from their little vacation, and Emily had let the blond woman drive her home and walk her up to the front door.

She had picked a rose from the mansion's front garden ad handed it to the brunette girl once she was to go inside, and they had quickly become an item.

"My beautiful girl," Jennifer grinned, letting Emily take her by the back of the head and lead her lips back to the brunette's. "So when we're in class, don't do that tongue thing. It's too distracting."

Emily frowned, her brows knitting together as she looked to the blond in the driver's seat. "What tongue thing?"

The blue eyed teacher gave a laugh at the oblivion her girlfriend held. "Whenever you're thinking really hard or looking at me with those eyes, or even if you're just getting ready to talk, you do this thing with your tongue and you kind of flick it out between your lips and then it disappears."

Her hand went to her chest as she laughed. "Are you kidding me? I don't do that."

"You do too!"

Without knowing it, Emily gave a quick lick to her lips as she shook her head.

"Right there!" the blond practically screamed, sitting up in her seat and pointing to the younger girl. "You just did it!"

The ambassador's daughter rolled her eyes, hearing the school bell ring just outside the car. "Come on," she laughed, getting herself out of the car and shrugging her backpack onto her shoulder. "We're both gonna be late if we stay out here."

Jennifer walked around the car and blocked the school from Emily's view, gently brushing her fingers against the eighteen year old's. "I'll see you in there."

"I'll see you," the brunette girl grinned, watching as the older woman walked away and toward the school to go to and get ready for her next class of the day. They had taken their lunch period to talk in the teacher's car, and now it was time to go and sit in her class and act as if she were just another student.

Emily nodded over to her friends as she walked into the school, smiling gently when Courtney looked over to her from her locker. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," her ex whispered, a small smile covering her face.

Emily gave a smile to the older girl and nodded her head toward her. "Good."

The ambassador's daughter listened to her friend's jokes and the other students around her yelling over one another, her eyes staring straight into those of her girlfriend as she walked into the classroom. "Ms. Jareau," she nodded.

Jennifer fought the smile that was trying to fix itself upon her lips, nodding back to the younger girl. "Emily, it's very nice to see you again. Have a seat please."

She sat herself right in the front row, just as she always would, her tongue running itself across her two front teeth before it poked out between her lips, and she laughed when her girlfriend hid her laugh behind her folder.


End file.
